


On Set

by TrinityRose



Category: The Flash
Genre: Barry Allen - Freeform, Caitlin Snow - Freeform, Earth 2 Harrison "Harry" Wells - Freeform, F/M, Harrison Wells - Freeform, Iris West - Freeform, Jesse Wells - Freeform, cisco ramon - Freeform, harry wells - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-29
Updated: 2018-08-22
Packaged: 2019-06-18 03:44:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 29,986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15476943
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TrinityRose/pseuds/TrinityRose
Summary: Harrison Wells is a famous movie director going through a messy divorce. His life is about to get even more complicated as he finds himself falling for the lead actress in his newest project.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

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The moment Caitlin Snow walked into the room for her audition, his whole world was thrown off balance. Harrison Wells was a famous director, about to make the very first movie based entirely on the script of his own creation. As that wasn't enough pressure, he was just getting through an expensive divorce while having a teenage daughter in her rebellious phase. Adding to the mix this absolutely beautiful and even more talented actress who was so much younger than he himself was probably wasn't a good idea, but the thing was that once she started acting out the scene, he couldn't see anyone else landing this role but her. She was simply perfect, nailing her lines, making her character come to life, portraying her just as she'd appeared in Harrison's mind while he'd been writing the script.

He was watching her play right in front of him in awe, his eyes never leaving her face and he could tell that at some point she started to feel self-conscious, just once meeting his gaze before her eyes flit away, her voice, yet, never wavered. He truly admired that since she managed to keep her cool under his all-too-observant scrutiny and she didn't mess anything up. She possessed some real talent and the moment she thanked them all for their consideration and left the room, Wells immediately reached for her papers, too eager to find out who she was and in what movies she'd recently played.

He was surprised to see the list being so short. Miss Snow started as a TV show actress, but unfortunately the series was quickly cancelled, not even given a proper ending. Next, she starred in two low budget horror movies and some indie. The last one Harrison was interested in, quickly scanning the rest of the list and eventually sighing heavily when bringing a hand to his forehead and rubbing there.

"Yeah, she's not really popular, that one," his assistant offered his input. "If you were willing to bet on her, that would be a grand risk. This is a lead role and it needs to be carried out perfectly if we want the movie to…"

"Oh, will you just shut up already?" Harrison asked the guy. "Ramon, what do I even pay you for?!" he snapped.

"Assisting? Which I'm doing?" Cisco asked in a strangely low voice.

"Not this kind. I'm the expert here and I say…"

"Mr. Wells, we don't have time," he heard coming from his other side. "The next girl is all ready and if we want to keep with up the schedule..."

"No need," he suddenly announced when getting up from his chair and reaching for his jacket.

"But…"

"There's no need, because I've already seen everything. We got our lead actress. We won't be sitting here and wasting our time," he informed and headed to the door.

"What? But…" the woman was speechless.

"Do you actually dare question me? The company gave me a free hand to decide whom I want to hire and I'm telling you, the girl who just walked in here _is_ Sara from my script. Hire her. Now we just have to find the lead guy." After that, he walked through the door, leaving the two remaining people just staring after him with their mouths hanging open.

As Harrison stepped into the hall, all the girls in there immediately started speaking at once, but he ignored them, making his way through the crowd and changing his glasses for dark ones as he pushed the door open and walked outside. He still had to meet his lawyer to find out how much his divorce would actually cost. Truly, those days he had no idea what had possessed him to get married at such a young age. Ok, Tess had gotten pregnant and he wanted to be the noble hero, maybe even one that could come straight from all the movies he'd been watching when growing up. Sadly, as he slowly climbed his career ladder, becoming a popular director, he also started to see life for what it truly was. And it was no movie. Most of the times anyways.

* * *

He was pretty much ruined. It seemed to be official.

He refused to stay in an unhappy marriage for even one more second and he really didn't have the strength to run to the court every single damn time his soon-to-be ex wife disagreed about something. She was already getting the LA house with everything in it and their daughter with pretty substantial alimony. Now, if he didn't make this upcoming move a success, he would be more than just broke. He would actually be finished. Still, he needed to take the risk because he'd been suffocating for years and couldn't stand this feeling any longer. The scrip he'd written during that time and eventually perfected was his first and he truly hoped he could turn it into his best movie yet. It was about a common guy living in a mundane world and suddenly gaining powers. Despite the way it sounded, it wasn't just another superhero movie. In fact, the science fiction slash supernatural parts were the smallest as it was more about the main character and his growth and struggle. And the woman he was in love with and probably could never have. It was scheduled to be released next summer so Harrison really needed to hurry up to find a lead actor. Otherwise he might be late and in his present circumstances, he just couldn't afford such a setback.

Just then he received a call and without checking the ID caller, he picked up, thinking it was his lawyer, "I already said it's a deal! I just want an out!" he screamed.

"What are you talking about, Harry?" the voice on the other side clearly did not belong to whom he expected. In fact, it sounded more like one of his boss's, the head of the studio that was funding his project. "I hope you don't mean that about the movie."

"Oh, of course not, Mr. Stein!" Harry quickly denied, scratching his head nervously as he got into his car. He really felt like cursing, but that wouldn't make his whole situation better, so he refrained himself from it. "I thought it was someone else… Everything's going great with the movie. I just found the lead actress! You're going to love her! She's amazing!"

"That's good news," Stein said and then added, "you can stop looking for the lead actor, though. I found him."

"Come again?" Harry froze with the car key already in the ignition. "I thought I was given a free hand at choosing…" Could this day get any worse? He thought then, already feeling the ground disappearing from under his feet.

* * *

He should have known it was all too good to be true. That the initial deal was too good. Now Stein found out about his divorce and his personal problems and he couldn't afford for this movie to fail. Otherwise Wells would end up being in debt to the company instead of bringing it profit.

"So, let me get this straight," Harrison finally said during his meeting with Stein. He tried hard to keep both his voice and attitude at bay, but once people started interfering with the scrip that he wrote himself, he was bound to be pissed. "You suddenly changed your mind and now you want me to give you a summer blockbuster? With a lead actor who's currently the hottest star out there? Does Allen even have talent?"

"You tell me. You must've seen him in something…"

Harrison hesitated, truly not knowing how to let Stein know that he wasn't exactly following _those_ kind of movies.

"Listen, Harrison, we're in a tight spot right now, so you either take the deal or leave it. But let me tell you that it's a good one! It's the answer to all of your problems! I let you hire that unknown actress and you let me put Barry Allen in the lead. You will make some room in this heartbreaking movie for cool fights, let your protagonist's powers manifest some more and we have a deal. In fact, it's gonna be like killing two birds with one stone. You get your big break as a writer and I got my summer hit. Deal?"

Wells sighed, seeing that he had no choice in the matter when considering his divorce and calling the whole thing off wasn't even an option. He was sick of the woman he'd pledged to spend his entire life with. The truth was that he didn't love her. Maybe he didn't even know what love was, which was ironic, truly, as his movie was romantic.

"Deal," he reluctantly agreed, shaking Stein's hand, because truly, what other choice did he have?"

* * *

Barely did Caitlin get home that day, having the worst of feelings in her guts that she'd failed majorly and would never be the kind of an actress she dreamt of being; she received a phone call. At first she was even reluctant to pick it up, because who that could be, really? Her agent informing of yet another audition she had to go to so she could fail again? She just felt so stupid! She'd done her research before stepping into that room today. She'd seen Harrison Wells's movies and was at awe with every single one of them. In fact, he quickly became one of her favorite directors and working for him would be both a dream come true and a big break for her. And she screwed up. And it all happened because of his blue eyes. Seriously, she'd never before in her entire life had the pleasure to gaze into such radiant azures, but it was also a mistake that probably caused her the role. It wasn't as though she had a strong chance to even begin with when it came to her previous movies that were so bad she wanted to cry but had no other choice but to star in each and every single one of them if she wanted to pay rent and have food on the table.

Maybe it was time to give up. Maybe it was time to call it quits and find herself some _real_ job as her parents insisted she should.

The phone kept on ringing, so she eventually grabbed it and asked angrily, "What?!"

There was stunned silence on the other side before some guy asked, "Is this Caitlin Snow?"

"Um… yes?" she answered with a question, frowning because this seemed like something different. It wasn't an audition invitation. Could it actually be…?

"This is Cisco Ramon calling on behalf of Harrison Wells. I have the pleasure to tell you that you got the role."

This time it was Cait's turn to be speechless. Eventually, she gasped, "Wh… what?" Oh, great, truly! She would soon make them all rethink why they should hire her if she couldn't even form a coherent sentence!

"You're Sara. Congratulations. Can we expect you in the studio tomorrow so you could read over a contract and sign it?"

"Con… contract? Already? Don't you want like… a follow up audition or…?" Caitlin was truly stunned and thought she was either dreaming or this was a prank call.

"Um… normally, yes, that would be the case, but Mr. Wells was adamant on giving the role to you. In fact, he left right after you auditioned, saying he already found the right person for the job. So, will you be there?"

Harrison Wells liked her based on those few minutes she spent in his company? Based on that one scene she played out? She was shaken. Astonished. How was that even possible? Her head quickly started to spin as she ran over all her lines and things and gestures she'd done on that audition. Was she really _that_ good?

"You're not pulling my leg or something?" she just had to ask that Ramon guy one more time.

"Oh, I wouldn't dare! I know firsthand how hard it is to make it in this business. I wouldn't play with your emotions like this. So, can you be here at nine?"

"Of course I can!" Caitlin exclaimed happily. "Oh, my God! I can't believe it!"

Cisco actually laughed. "Believe it, girl! It's your time to shine! See you tomorrow!"

He hung up and she couldn't help it. She squealed when jumping high up into the air. She got the role! She was going to work for Harrison Wells!


	2. Chapter 2

When Caitlin came to the appointed meeting the next day, she was all jittery and nervous – something that had truly never happened to her before. Then again, she'd never before been given any serious role and it didn't take a genius to deduce that when being the lead female in Harrison Wells's movie, she would have to carry half of the movie. If she screwed up, she could kiss her career goodbye. Or maybe she should think positive thoughts, she told herself when walking inside the building and then directing herself to the reception desk. Harrison Wells must've seen something in her, some true talent, because otherwise he wouldn't have hired her, right? So maybe it was high time she believed it, too. She could do this.

"You got this," she whispered to herself when the woman by the desk handed her a pass and congratulated her on the role. It was nice, actually, to have someone say that to her. Getting the role was a huge accomplishment on its own and Caitlin shouldn't try to diminish herself.

With a newly found confidence, she took the elevator to the right floor and arrived at the appointed door. After a moment of hesitation, she knocked and was startled when it opened immediately, showing a young guy she remembered from her audition.

Once he saw her, his face illuminated up in a boyish smile.

"Miss Snow! How nice to see you again! Come in!" He moved in the door to let her through and she spotted that she walked into a conference room, a few people she didn't know already there, but so far, no sign of the director. "We haven't been introduced properly, right?" The guy turned to her again. "Hi, I'm Cisco Ramon. It'll be my pleasure to work with you."

She couldn't help but smile right back at him, liking his warm attitude and the welcoming he'd given her.

"You can call me Cait," she told him when shaking his hand.

"Great. Now… here's the rest of the cast." he pointed to a few people sitting by the table and then to the older man at the head of it, "and this is the producer, Martin Stein. Without him, there wouldn't be a movie since, ya know… he's funding it." Cisco chuckled.

Stein did raise from his seat to greet her, but she still didn't like the way he looked her up and down as though he was questioning Wells's decision of hiring her and she suddenly wondered whether she could still be kicked out. Technically, she hadn't signed anything yet, so…

In that moment the door opened again, showing Harrison Wells walking inside in a haste, balancing some papers, his bag and a coffee cup in his hands. He raised his head, taking in the people in the room, his eyes eventually stopping on Caitlin and she could see his pupils widen.

She thought he was going to say something, but instead he just dropped everything to the table, careful for the coffee and grabbed a seat.

"Where's Allen?" he asked gruffly, noticing the absence of the lead actor.

"I'm sure he'll be here. He's probably busy with all the fans outside," Stein joked and Wells raised his eyebrows at that.

Caitlin frowned, remembering no fan girls at the front of the building.

"Great," Harrison threw sarcastically. "He hasn't even signed anything yet and he's already late. Fantastic choice for my lead, Stein, truly."

"Now, now… Harrison, please, just give the guy a chance, ok? He's the goldmine you need."

"Yeah, yeah. I hope he's as talented as you say he is, because _that_ is what I need," Wells murmured under his breath and Caitlin got the impression that he wasn't a very nice man. She couldn't truly say anything about him from the brief moment she'd seen him on the audition. Still, _this_ was so not what she expected. Although, she thought then, studying his features as he reached for the coffee cup to finish his drink and then threw it to the trash can in the corner of the room, scoring perfectly; it was mostly like this when you met your idols, right? They disappointed you and it was better to admire them from far, far away. Then again, there must've been something about him if he could produce such amazing movies. She was still at awe of the scenes he'd directed so far, of his talent.

Suddenly, he looked directly at her and that was the moment she realized she was staring. She quickly dropped her eyes to her hands, playing with her fingers and knowing that was the worst possible reaction ever.

Luckily, she was saved by the door slamming open and someone nearly stumbling inside before steadying himself.

"Oh, dear lord," Harrison sighed under his breath, bringing his hand to his forehead and rubbing on it furiously.

"So sorry," the young man threw their way as he grabbed the nearest chair and quite literally fell into it. "Traffic."

"I'm sure it was," Harrison sighed once more. "Can we now maybe finally begin?" He turned to Stein, his expression making a point his boss refused to get.

"Be my guest. I take it that you brought the contracts from our lawyers."

"Here." Wells reached to the papers and handed them over to Cisco who actually blushed there for a moment.

"Um… Harry… those are divorce papers," he explained quietly, returning them, but everyone in the room had already managed to catch it and an embarrassing silence fell.

Wells grabbed the other fold of papers and threw it his assistant's way.

"I take it that you all know the script was slightly altered," he spoke to his actors while Cisco was handling the contracts, "courtesy of our dear Mr. Stein, I'm afraid," he added and it was clear that he didn't like it one bit.

Caitlin swallowed hard. She didn't exactly expect this news as she'd read over Wells's entire script already and absolutely loved it, especially the tragic ending which would give her so much to go with. She was both terrified and excited to play her part, to bring Sara to life and give her all that spectrum of emotions Harrison expected. And now they were changing something? And Wells clearly didn't like it. Then again, it wasn't as though she could do something about that or even leave. Whatever this movie turned out to be, she needed to be in it. She couldn't afford not to.

"Your respectable agents received copies of this yesterday afternoon. I gather that they read through them and found nothing wrong," Stein spoke again.

Yes, Caitlin had received a call from her agent this morning. The woman was even more excited for this deal than the actress herself as it seemed. Or maybe so far her own personal elation turned into shock and then actual fear of not being able to reach the standard Harrison Wells expected from her. Seeing him now as this gruff, closed off and unattainable man who was actually going through a divorce, didn't bode well for her, so she told herself she needed to be prepared for him to be hard on her. Then again, she wanted nothing more than to work under him, so she needed to give her best… or maybe work _for_ him, she suddenly realized what her thoughts implied and was accidentally met with the stunning blue of his eyes. This time she looked away slowly, making sure he wouldn't think she kept escaping his gaze because she was staring. Damn it!

She quickly signed the contract with no need of reading it all over. She trusted her agent completely as it was an old friend of her mother, so she knew the deal was the best she could get. Even her fee seemed adequate despite her not being a popular actress, so it was safe to sign it and feel secure.

What Caitlin didn't expect was the relief washing over her once the formalities were all done. From now on she knew they wouldn't be able to break the contract without losing twice as much as they were offering her now, so either way she got everything covered. She wouldn't have to worry about starving herself to death or paying her rent anymore. That thought was so surprisingly comforting that she found herself relaxing and the moment they were all free to go, the meeting coming to an end; she simply got up, a heavy weight lifted from her shoulders as she made her way to the door, taking the _improved_ – as Stein called it – script with her. She had a few days to prepare herself for the table read that was happening next week, so she better get to it!

Cisco, on seeing her leave, sent her way a smile and wished her all the best with the upcoming preparation. She couldn't help but smile right back at him and brightly, her enthusiasm finally returning and she once again nearly couldn't believe she got the job!

What she didn't see was Harrison noticing that smile of hers while he was grabbing the remaining papers that still awaited his signature. And he would get down to it as soon as he was left alone in his office because he truly wanted to be a free man already. Yet, the expression on Caitlin Snow's face did something weird to his chest and he suddenly found himself calming down, all the agitation prompted by both his personal and work problems somehow disappearing. Now they seemed unimportant and before he knew it, he followed the girl through the door.

"Snow," her last name was out of his lips before he managed to stop himself and he cursed inwardly when she turned to him in surprise. Yet, she was still so, so very beautiful, he thought, immediately chastising himself for it. "I'm sorry," he followed with an apology, fixing the bag strap over his shoulder and not knowing what to do with his hands afterwards. What was _that_? He wondered. It'd never happened to him before. "Can I call you Snow?"

"I don't see why not," she assured him, smiling at him with that brilliant smile of hers.

"Well, Snow, then…" he started again, lifting his hand to his mouth and running over it before continuing, "I'm really glad to have you onboard."

"Of course. It's an honor, Mr. Wells," she assured him. "I promise I will not let you down."

"Oh, I have no doubt about that," he said to her surprise, his voice suddenly losing all the gruffness she'd heard in it before, now actually becoming soft and husky. "You did a tremendous job at the audition, but I'm sure Ramon already told you that."

"He did," she confirmed with a nod, "but it's an honor to hear it coming from you as well. Actually, I've seen all your movies and I loved them. I'm really looking forward to working under you." She could swear she blushed just then, because damn it! Why did she have to say _under_? She knew that was a normal expression, but somehow it sounded all dirty to her.

Thankfully, he didn't seem to notice.

"Well, we'll see what's gonna become of this movie," he sighed, "and how much they're still going to change."

"Can they really do that?" she dared ask.

"Martin Stein basically owns me and my own… let's just say _situation_ isn't that good out of recent, so… yeah, they can do anything they want."

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Wells. For what it's worth, I think your scrip was amazing from the beginning to the end. It made me cry and that happens to me very rarely, if at all," she confessed. Yes, she might be an actress, but that didn't mean she was overly emotional. She even remembered how her parents looked at her when she told them whom she wanted to be. They were shocked, convinced that their seemingly cold and unmoved daughter, though always sweet and kind towards people, could ever actually _move_ someone on the screen. Little did they know that she was a good actress. Because acting was a skill, not something that a person was. In the end, they always said she was a walking oxymoron.

Wells smiled at her sheepishly, suddenly feeling embarrassed by that bold confession before going with, "It's Harry."

"What?"

"You just call me Harry. After all, during the next few months we'll be spending a lot of time in each other's company. We may even grow sick of one another," he then joked just to unload the suddenly heavy atmosphere. And truth be told, he had no idea why it was so heavy. There was just this inexplicable tension between them and it didn't help that she was so nice and beautiful.

"Well, in this case, _Harry_ ," she started with a smile that just refused to fade away since she suspected she might've actually been terribly wrong about this man. He seemed mean at first, yes, but she had to take into account the facts that his movie was falling apart, being completely taken over by someone else and he was just getting through a divorce. None of that was easy. And if Caitlin remembered correctly from reading his biography on the internet, he did have a teenage daughter, so that only complicated things further, "it was really nice to meet you," she told him with the same never-fading smile and something about that brought one out of him as well. He could swear that he didn't remember the last time he'd been smiling for so long. There was just something about this girl. "I'd better get down to working on this," she pointed the newest version of the scrip she was still holding on to. "Thank you for this wonderful opportunity once again."

"My pleasure," he assured her and as she finally made her exit, he was still watching her until she turned around the corner and disappeared. Then he just shook his head, sighing heavily before directing himself to his office. There were some papers in a desperate need of his signature and then some serious studying of the new script. He was already scared since he had an idea of the first thing that was altered and he was right, screaming 'fuck' over and over again when sitting by his desk. He would most definitely need a drink for _that_ , he decided, seeing the new and _improved_ -NOT ending.

Yes, he thought some time later, his hair already a mess as he couldn't keep his hands off of it while going over all the changes. He was screwed. He didn't want to make this movie, but he had no choice since it was the cost of his divorce and personal freedom. He could breathe again now, but he had an inkling that soon enough, once this movie was released, he would start suffocating all over again.

The hero of his story was a loner wishing for something else in life, an outcast, so in love with a girl that he finally worked up the courage to ask out just when… an accident happened and whereas it should've killed him, it'd given him extraordinary abilities instead. Abilities he never wanted in the first place, just wishing himself to be back to his old self. The movie was supposed to be about him figuring out his identity and about the irony of the saying _be careful what you wish for_ ; of him going up against crime and injustice whereas still trying to maintain his old life and most importantly, making it work with the woman he'd won over, a woman who'd actually liked him even before he'd become a hero. But in life you could never had it all. Not when the other person wasn't your equal. So Sara died at the end, caught in the crossfire.

It was heartbreaking, Harrison knew it, but it was also true. True to him and to real life that was made out of choices; a life in which one really couldn't have it all.

And now he couldn't believe that his main character was suddenly so much younger, younger even than the leading actor. It was a common thing nowadays, actually, to hire actors who played versions of themselves reaching back to even ten years! The worst part, yet, was that in the end the guy made it all work. He managed to save everything and everyone in – or maybe rather in what was supposed to be – an epic battle with some heavy use of CGI and special effects. He got the girl, he got to be the hero, leaving his old self behind and becoming an new improved person.

It was everything Harrison stood against.

And he hated every second of this new story.


	3. Chapter 3

They were all there, gathered around a huge table, ready for the first read of the script, for the first interpretation. And Caitlin was panicking, sat right next to Barry Allen, whom she'd just met and already had doubts she would like; and Harrison Wells – _Harry_ as he insisted she called him – at the head of the table. Cisco was on his other side, now sending her way a reassuring smile as though he could sense how nervous she was. Multiple people were involved with this project, all there now for reading their parts. In fact, those few who didn't have many lines were dealt with first, received some pointers from Wells and then were free to go. The rest stayed as they would have to do so, so much more work that day.

A reading table was a normal process with any kind of a series or movie, but somehow Caitlin felt like she was doing it for the very first time, not sure what to expect from Harry who'd so far been very vague in his directions. Something told her he was saving all of his remarks and critique for her and Allen since they were the lead actors. Just perfect, she decided, only more scared and feeling her mouth go dry before she even said a word. She quickly reached for her water.

Barry was the one who started and after a few lines, Caitlin just had to send him a very surprised look. Because truly, he was reading his text as though he didn't even care, as though the table read itself was just a formality to familiarize himself with his role and to move on to actual shooting.

Apparently, she wasn't alone in her opinion, because once she risked a glance in Harry's direction, she spotted him just sitting there, his chin in his hands as he was listening to the awful job Allen was doing and barely holding himself together.

Eventually, when the actor finished reading, he said, "Well, ok, now that you actually _know_ what you're going to say, put some life into it."

Only the next time wasn't much better and it wasn't because Barry had trouble with the lines; oh, no; he was already better at that. He just looked all smug as he was interpreting them the way he thought would be best and it so did not sound like the outcast and loner he was playing.

Wells started criticizing him, though he refrained himself from being overly mean and Snow suspected that Stein controlled even more than she initially thought like maybe Harrison's attitude. Maybe the director was told not to scream or to be awful to Allen. By now she thought that anything was possible and she started wondering what would happen to them all once the movie was released and critics would be able to say anything they wanted about it…

Eventually, it was her turn to engage into a conversation with Barry, so she did her best, put as much of her acting skills into it as she could muster, but in the end she thought that it didn't make much of a difference. Acting with someone else was a tricky thing because it didn't seem to matter how good you were. You actually had to work with the other person and respond to their own reactions, therefore half of your performance relayed on them. Therefore what came out of those few scenes they read and reenacted was just awful.

At some point Wells sighed heavily, taking off his glasses and rubbing his eyes furiously before declaring a coffee break. He quickly raised from his seat and left the room as though he couldn't wait to get away from them all, the glasses left abandoned on the table. And Caitlin couldn't truly blame him, also standing up since her butt pretty much ached from all the sitting.

* * *

She finally located a small buffet in the studio and walked over to it, happy that she would get to order her favorite coffee when Harrison came out of nowhere, appearing right by her side.

"Allow me," he offered and paid for her drink, already having his own in hand.

"Thank you, but you don't have to do it," she told him immediately, feeling a little embarrassed and flushed out of the sudden. "If so, it should be me buying you coffee," she then said when accepting the cup.

"And why is that?" He wanted to know. He did glance in the direction of the few tables and chairs there, but refrained himself from suggesting to sit as they'd had enough of that and needed to stretch their legs. In the end, he made a gesture inviting her outside for a moment to breathe some fresh air and she followed.

"Because it was just… awful back there," she finally answered his question, sending him a small apologetic smile as he held the door open for her, the piercing blue of his eyes not missing her attention, especially now that he didn't have his glasses on. "I'm just sorry for what happened."

"No, Snow," he disagreed immediately and she looked at him. "You were tremendous, honestly," he assured her and noticed her lips parting in surprise. He forced himself to take his eyes away from them and then took another sip of his black coffee. "It's Barry who doesn't get it. In fact, I'm starting to think I'm gonna have to take the lead for a while, run over the lines with you so he would see how it's done. Truly something that as a director I never thought I would have to do."

And there it was. Despite the liquid in the close vicinity of her lips, her mouth once again that day went dry. She couldn't understand what was happening to her around this man or, quite frankly, maybe she refused to understand because _that_ would be highly unprofessional and her career was at stake here. Then again, he did offer to reenact those few John and Sara's scenes with her, so that was enough to throw her off balance. She would have to sit there and play with him, having to look into those blue eyes and… She forced those thoughts away for now.

"Couldn't you find a better male lead?" she asked instead, wanting to find out more about the project.

"Honestly, I didn't even get the chance to try. I barely managed to find you and I was just about to start looking for the male actor when… well, Stein threw Allen at me and said to make it work."

"That's terrible, Harry. I'm sorry."

"You're not too keen on that guy either, hah?" he asked with a smile.

"Um… does it show?" She was quite bothered by it since her personal feelings about the man aside, she had to make it believable on the screen. She had to convince her audience that she was falling in love with him. And it would be so much easier if he was a better actor.

"What else don't you like about this movie?" Wells wanted to know, really curious about her opinion when remembering how well they'd seemed to agree on things the last time they'd talked.

"I'm not sure I should even be saying that aloud," she confessed, taking to drinking her coffee instead.

"Come on. It's just me. Stein or anyone else for that matter will never know," he encouraged her, taking his last sip before crashing the paper cup in his hand and throwing it to the trash can, again scoring perfectly. She wondered whether he played basketball and she unintentionally took a closer look at him. He was incredibly tall and thin but the muscles on his arms were clearly outlined while he managed the shot. Something she also should not be focusing her attention on.

When he looked at her again, she was able to take her eyes away from his arms just in time. "Um… honestly, I hate every single scene that has been changed," she voiced her opinion bravely, choosing that to distract herself from admiring this man's physique.

"And you don't have the luxury to just quit, don't you?" he surprisingly answered with a question that was just straight to the point.

"Exactly," she gasped, staring at the blue in his eyes and then forcing herself to look away before it would get too intense or too intrusive.

"I'm sorry, Snow," he sighed after a moment of silence, running his hand through his hair, messing the curls there. Again, she tried hard not to stare. "I wish this movie wasn't the iceberg to our own personal Titanic."

"It's ok. It's either this or quitting the business for good. I haven't had much of luck," she admitted, finishing her coffee and then biting on her lip as she thought about her life.

"That's surprising, considering your natural talent," he paid her a compliment, "but I get it, I guess. This business is harsh and heartless. People like Allen, who has virtually no talent, raise up quickly just because of their model looks. Girls are going crazy and tickets are sold. Real talent… well, that requires an actual movie connoisseur. Just look at actors with true talents. They're all signing up for some huge movies in which they really don't need to do much of acting just so they could do _that_ in smaller productions that only a handful of people and some true fans are going to watch."

"That's… that's just depressing," Caitlin admitted with a sigh. "You're making me start to reconsider." She then chuckled.

"Well, you're free to do whatever you want, but if I'm to be blatantly honest, right now you're the only person who's still keeping this movie afloat. You're my only chance, Snow," he confessed, his voice growing so husky, low and sexy that something flipped in her stomach as she looked at him.

"Well, _that_ , Harrison Wells, is too much pressure," she eventually went with a playful tone. "It's not like I can quit anyways," she added then, "I've already signed a contract and I do not have the money to pay the damages."

"You and me both," he agreed with another sigh. "But just to amuse me," he picked it up again, "if you could choose something else to do, what it would be?"

"You know, I was just about ready to give up, but…" she hesitated, thinking about it some more, "I don't really have any back-up plan. I never did. I would probably go back to my family town and grab any kind of a job." She shrugged.

"Or you could live with your parents for a while and focus on what you truly want from life."

"Oh, no, they're dead."

There was sudden and awkward silence as she said that.

"I'm sorry," he eventually apologized. "Sometimes I can be such an idiot."

"No, it's ok. You couldn't have known."

"Well, my folks died a long time ago as well. Father always dreamt of becoming a huge movie maker, but it took me to finally follow that dream. We shared passion for movies, so I guess all that I'm doing now, I'm trying to do to honor his memory."

"That sounds great," Snow said. "I know he would be very proud of you."

"Probably not so much. Everything I touch recently I manage to successfully screw up. Maybe my problem is that I've always lived in the movies and not in reality. I got married because my girlfriend was pregnant. I wanted to play a fucking hero and now I'm a freshly baked divorcee who's probably never truly loved anyone in his life. Well, except my daughter, but that love is kind of a given… I'm sorry," he suddenly apologized, scratching his head. "I shouldn't have said any of that."

"It's ok," she assured him with a comforting smile, actually glad to get to know him better. Then again, having this information was probably dangerous for her because of the way she started to feel in this man's company.

There it was, he locked his eyes with her and she couldn't seem to escape the depths of his blues.

"What is it?" She realized he must've just asked her that because she was staring for a little bit too long.

She had to clear the air now, didn't she? "Don't take this the wrong way," she slowly started, already feeling embarrassed about the whole thing, "but… your eyes…" she hesitated, biting on her lip again.

"What about my eyes?" he asked in confusion, a frown marring his forehead.

"They're… unusual," she eventually went with.

"Unusual how?" The frown only deepened as he tried to understand her point.

"Well… what I really wanted to say was that they're… beautiful," she finally confessed, successfully rendering him speechless, "but I didn't want it to come out all wrong," she quickly added.

For a moment there, he was just stunned by what he heard, but then he chuckled. "Good one, Snow. And just for the record, yours aren't so bad either."

"Don't do that. Don't repay me with another compliment. I truly think they're unusual. Just so… blue."

"Like eyes of millions of other people in this world."

She smiled at that and then shook her head, "You really don't know how to react to someone complimenting you, do you?"

"Because I should be the one giving them. Shall we get back to work? I think it's been enough of a break. Let's see what Allen screws up this time," he joked and she smiled at him brightly. She just couldn't help it.

Suddenly, when he opened the door for her to let her in first, his hand briefly rested on the small of her back, urging her forward. When he let her go, she felt a burning mark there and found herself breathless.

This was dangerous, she thought as they headed back to the conference room. So, so dangerous and she needed to keep herself in check.

* * *

His smoldering eyes were everywhere and she couldn't seem to escape them. In fact, in the end she just allowed herself to be pulled into this gaze as she was running over the lines with him, finding him to be a surprisingly good actor and wishing for him to play the role instead of Barry. With him onboard they could actually make this a success. She could feel the electricity hanging in the air between them as they interacted, doing what seemed like a simple table read to give Allen some pointers, but it felt like so much more than that. Damn it.

At the end of the day, they were all exhausted and finally, Harrison called it, asking Allen to stay whereas everyone else, including Snow, could leave. She only said goodbye and sent the director a smile on her way out, careful to make it all casual since she clearly needed some distance, some fresh air to clear her mind.

After Wells gave Allen all the pointers he had left and asked him not to be late to set the day they began shooting, he finally gathered up his papers and headed for the door himself, Ramon following.

"If you ask me, you'd make a so much better John than Barry," Cisco said in honesty as they made their way down the hall.

"Well, last time I checked I was almost 46 years old and Allen's 30. I'm scared to even look up Snow's age."

"29," his assistant happily provided.

"God!" Harrison actually groaned, running a hand over his mouth.

"Hey!" Ramon noticed the look on the boss's face. " _That_! That right there! What is it?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Harry fastened up his steps, but Cisco was catching up anyway despite his shorter legs.

"Do you actually like this girl?" He wanted to know.

"Define like," the evading answer came.

"Oh, my God! You're like totally into her!"

"Ramon, stop! I need to save this movie and I still have no idea how to _not_ turn it into an actual disaster that will be just another superhero explosive about which no one would remember in a few months; not to mention I've just gotten divorced!"

"That's exactly right, man! You're free and you so deserve some!" Cisco picked up on it and patted Wells's back to which the older man rolled his eyes.

"That's not very professional," he argued.

"And you think Allen is? Please! He's had affairs with like every single one of his co-stars!"

"That's reassuring." Harry sighed.

"But… but you're so much better than he is!" Cisco suddenly realized his slip up and tried to rectify the situation. "You can totally seduce this girl!"

They finally reached Wells's office.

"This discussion is over," the boss simply stated and before Ramon could say anything else to that, the door slammed straight into his face, effectively cutting his way in.

"Yeah… That happened. But he still loves me. I'm sure of it," he said to himself before leaving.

Harry fell into the chair by his desk and buried his face in his hands, wondering how the hell he'd even gotten himself into such a mess. Then again, he was asking himself the same question every single damn day.

He was truly getting old, he decided. And whereas it didn't seem to matter when it came to being a director behind the scenes, he still wasn't sure whether anyone would hire him again after this disaster of a move that was supposed to be his life dream coming true and instead, it was slowly turning into his worst nightmare.


	4. Chapter 4

It was day six of shooting and so far it had been awful for Caitlin.

Of course, it wasn't because of Harry. In fact, he was nothing more than a perfect gentleman and a very patient, though a little frustrated, director. She couldn't really blame him for the latter, considering the fact that his movie had been butchered and redone in almost its entirety. It was reason number two to why it had been so awful. Caitlin had the impression she walked onto the set of another blockbuster intended for teenagers, just another summer heat featuring pretty faces and explosives. It wasn't as though she had a choice in the matter, but she highly doubted she would become a respected actress after this. Well, her career had been long over anyways, so she didn't really have any hard feelings, having done everything she possibly could. The main problem seemed to be the person of Barry Allen with whom she had like _none_ of on-screen chemistry. Just _nada_. Added to that, he was a pretty awful actor or maybe he just didn't care, not able to wait till the shooting was all done and he could cash another big cheque.

Pushing all those inconveniences aside, Caitlin loved to work with Harrison. It wasn't because he was lenient with anyone on the set, quite the contrary, actually, but he had this amazing inborn talent that she really appreciated and all the advises he was giving her and the rest of the cast were really good. At least they made _her_ feel like she was getting better at what she was doing. If Barry decided to stick them all up his ass, it was his decision. Seriously, she'd barely gotten to know the guy and she already wondered what the hell those girls all over the world saw in him. Oh, wait, scratch that, because she actually _could_ understood. One couldn't really argue with personal taste, but the characters Barry played on the screen were nothing like his own, so maybe she should wonder how on earth he'd even managed to seduce one fellow actress, not to mention a whole horde of them as his reputation preceded him.

Not that she wasted much time thinking about it, making it clear that she wanted nothing to do with him unless they were shooting a scene.

"They really hate each other," Cisco pointed out to Harry while they were doing some retakes.

"Yep. And it's bad for the movie," Wells answered with his eyes plastered to the screen, his arms folded over his chest as he was sitting comfortably in his director chair. He'd better enjoy it while he still could, he thought morosely.

"Bad for the movie, maybe, but not for you, my friend!" Cisco was all too enthusiastic about that.

"Ramon, _please_ , this movie has been falling apart since day one and now it's just a fucking disaster and… cut! CUT!" he screamed because Allen screwed his lines up, yet, once again. Seriously, Harry started to wonder whether he should order a drug test for the actor, because the younger man seemed more and more out of it with every passing day. Then again, that would surely shut the production down immediately, so maybe he should just suffer through all this bad acting and say goodbye to his career.

Snow… well, Snow was another story. She was perfect, a true natural. In fact, she was just about the only thing that made him want to get out of bed in the morning and come to the set. Because she was just that good. She was his muse and he couldn't help but change some scenes in his original script for the better, not to mention add some more, even when knowing full well that they would never see the light of day. He just couldn't help it. This woman had become his true inspiration and he suspected she might turn out to be his downfall, too, but he refused to think about _that_ just yet. So far, they'd actually grown pretty friendly, feeling very comfortable in each other's company he hoped he would never screw this up. He was truly at awe of her talent and personality that was so unlike any other actress he'd known so far. He didn't even feel the need for her to repeat any of her scenes, she was just that good. It was Allen that caused them precious time for the retakes and if Harry were to be completely honest, he wasn't even mad at that because he had the pleasure to see Caitlin act live one more time…

…well, except the time she actually had to kiss Allen. That was just awful.

Harrison knew it was stupid. Actors kissed on set and stage all the time, thinking nothing of it, managing to distance themselves from it and just suffering through. In fact, kissing for the movie wasn't even that romantic as it seemed on the silver screen because of all the people staring and making sure they got the angle right. When a director told an actor to keep their head just at the right level and went over every little detail of how the kiss should look like, in the end it stopped even being a kiss, just a thing actors did with their bodies in front of the camera.

So Harry kept telling himself that, clearly jealous and filled with rage even more so than before. In fact, he didn't order much of retakes and left the set early, telling the actors that they were done for the day and he most definitely ignored the smirk Cisco sent his way.

He could pretend as much as he wanted, but he knew deep down inside that whatever he started to feel for Caitlin Snow went beyond friendship. And it was just another disaster added to the pile because a, he had no idea whether she even felt the same way and b, it was another nail to his movie's coffin.

"Hey, are you ok?" Iris West asked Cait as the girls were packing to head home for the day. The woman played the role of Sara's best friend in the movie.

Snow sent her a sad smile, "I guess… it's just…" she hesitated, seeing the expectant look on Iris's face as she was waiting for the answer, "Barry and I… are not exactly getting along well and with the changes in the script… Sometimes I just wonder what I'm even doing here," she eventually confessed.

"Well, when it comes to me, I'm just happy to be in any kind of a movie right now," West said in honesty, actually making Caitlin feel bad that she was complaining whereas what she really should be doing was having the time of her life. "When it comes to Barry… well, it's called acting, right? So don't you worry, girl," she playfully bumped into Cait's side, "it'll be all over before you know it and you'll be famous. People always watch movies and think, gosh, those two! They are so amazing together! What they don't know is the more actors hate each other on set, the more chemistry and tension there is between them on the screen. Or if they really _is_ chemistry between them in private. That works, too." She winked.

"Ah, trust me, Iris, I don't think Barry and I fit any of those categories."

"Yeah…" she admitted. "But you'll see, once this movie's over, you'll be able to move onto another project and hopefully, that one will be better."

"Yeah, hopefully," Caitlin sighed, watching Iris leave. Yet, before she followed, she risked a glance at the nearest trailer where Harry usually spent his time on set while not directing, and saw the lights on. She bit on her lip as she hesitated, thinking whether she really should go over there. Whatever it was between them, it was growing stronger, the tension nearly palpable every time she talked to him and the last thing she should be doing was throwing herself at her director, at the man thanks to whom she was given this job. It seemed wrong on so many levels that she always pushed those thoughts away.

Yet, in the end the fact that she seemed to like him more than she should wasn't the reason to why she picked up walking that way. Above all, she considered herself his friend as they talked more and more and enjoyed each other company. Added to that, they seemed to understand one another perfectly, so she just had to ask how he was doing. This day was hard enough on them and maybe they both needed some pick-me-up.

She hesitated before knocking on the door, but eventually she just did it, knowing that she must've looked stupid standing there like this with her hand raised and ready.

He didn't seem surprised when he spotted her as he called out to just come in. She found him sitting over the new _improved_ version of the script.

"You're doing it again," she said, closing the door behind her and then making her way to him. "No matter how many times you read this over, it won't get better."

To her astonishment, he crumbled one of the pages in his hand, forcefully tearing it away from the rest and threw to the corner of the room in frustration. There was no trash can in sight, so the ball landed on the floor.

"Sorry," Harry eventually apologized when sighing heavily and hiding his face in his hands. "I just…"

"I understand," Caitlin assured him in a soft voice and after a brief moment of hesitation she came even closer so she could place her hand on his shoulder. At first he tensed up under her touch and she was just about to remove the hand when she felt him relaxing and breathing out before he briefly covered it with his own, giving her a little squeeze and eventually letting go.

It was such an innocent gesture, she thought, yet it burnt her, seeming to leave a permanent mark on her skin.

"I just don't know how I can deal with more of this crap," he confessed. "It's not my script anymore. Every word, every scene…" He shook his head helplessly when finally standing up and facing her, "it's all warped, changed, unrecognizable. My name will be there, but I won't be the person standing behind the project and…" He suddenly looked her straight in the eye. "I'm sorry," he eventually went with. "You don't need to hear this. You're doing an amazing job despite all the obstacles."

"It's ok," she quickly assured him. "Maybe it's presumptuous of me, but I've actually been thinking of us as friends. Is that ok?"

"Friends," he repeated as though he truly didn't like the word and she wished she knew exactly why that was. "Of course, Snow. Of course we are," he then assured her sincerely, so maybe she was reading too much into things. It wasn't as though a freshly divorced man whose entire career was falling apart even had the time to think about something as trivial as romance on the set of his movie.

"Listen, Harrison," she picked up again, glancing at the ball of crumpled paper in the corner and wondering what page it actually was, what agitated him so much, "I already told you I loved the original. I think you are a visionary and you shouldn't give up so easily. If this movie doesn't work out for you as you wanted it to, you can always make another. I believe in you."

There was pregnant silence as he took into her words, just staring at her and she started feeling uncomfortable under the scrutiny of his eyes. She felt the need to say something else, anything so they wouldn't get lost in this strangely heavy atmosphere.

He didn't seem like he was going to speak anytime soon, so she eventually did add, rather abashed, "For what it's worth, I would gladly star in every single one of your movies and I would do it blindly without even reading the script."

She felt like she was gambling a lot when revealing that to him, not sure of his reaction, but to her grand relief, he smiled.

"Thank you, Snow. I truly appreciate this faith you seem to have in me. I'm just sorry this isn't exactly what you imagined it to be."

Caitlin thought about Iris's earlier words, not able to actually believe that she, this modest and compassionate person who always grabbed every opportunity no matter how bad, could so suddenly lose the sight of it. In fact, she'd gotten so caught up in the illusion of starring for Harrison Wells in his perfect movie that she'd forgotten what really mattered. And that was the fact that she had a job. Period.

"No, it's ok," she assured him. "I needed a break. I was out of work actress and I would've taken any role given, so this one is really a wonderful opportunity for me. Whatever happens from now on, whether they decide to peg me as an action star, I will just roll with it because as I told you once, I can't really imagine any other career for myself." Yes, she immediately felt better as she reached this conclusion, as she realized her mistake. Despite her not truly liking the script, she couldn't complain because she still had more than most of struggling actresses out there, even more so than Iris did. Snow was actually grateful for the girl to open her eyes.

"Well, if I do happen to make another movie, I will definitely call you. The lead is already yours," Harrison assured her with sparks in his eyes and her lips suddenly parted, the magnitude of what he just said hitting her full on.

She couldn't seem to ignore this any longer, this heat clearly between them, the pull. Maybe they truly were more than just friends and they both realized it, yet none of them acted on it because it would be bad for the already failing movie. Still, it seemed to be inevitable and the worst part was that it wasn't just sexual. There seemed to be so much more than that in it.

Caitlin was just about to say her goodbye when Harrison made a movement with his hand as though he was going to touch her face when the door suddenly flew open, showing Cisco.

"Wow! Sorry!" the younger man immediately apologized when seeing the two of them together.

"What's wrong?" Harry just asked because he look on Ramon's face was enough to make him worry.

"It's Barry…" Cisco said slowly, swallowing hard. "He's been arrested for DUI."

"Fuck," was all that Harrison could say in the end, actually bringing his hand to his head and running it through his hair. "Fuck!"

 


	5. Chapter 5

Early the next morning Harrison was pacing back and forth at the front of Martin Stein's office, waiting for the man to show up to work, waiting for the news, for his movie to be axed, for his career to be finished, for himself to wind up broke. He hadn't slept at all that night, knowing the news must've already reached his boss's ears, but also realizing that the soonest he would be able to talk to the big man behind the curtain about it was the following morning. He could only imagine what Stain would say, how disappointed he must've been. The biggest irony, though, was that it was all his own fault since _he_ was the one to hire Allen in the first place.

Brilliant, just brilliant, Harry thought, pissed when running a hand through his messy curls. The problem was that at the moment he didn't even feel like caring about what should be the most important to him – his head and ruined financial status – oh, no. What he cared about was surprisingly Caitlin Snow and her own destroyed career. He couldn't even comprehend what he felt inside at the very thought of the woman and it was downright confusing. He so did not need _that_ troubling him now. Besides, she was too young for him anyway, he told himself over and over again, running calculations in his head, counting how many years separated them, how wrong it would be to actually ask her out. He couldn't. Wouldn't. She was off limits… Yet, he wanted to. So, so _bad._

"Rise and shine, I see," Stein's words broke the stream of unwanted thoughts in Harrison's mind and the man was actually grateful for the interruption, already driving himself crazy.

"You're in an awfully cheerful mood," he pointed out to his boss. "Did you even hear what happened?"

Finally, the smile on Stein's face faded away and he sighed, stopping right by the door and inserting the key into the lock.

"Of course I heard!" he responded when flinging the door open and walking inside, clearly assuming Harry would follow. And he did, quickly closing it behind and looking at the other man in nervous anticipation.

"Sooo?" he eventually prompted, placing his hands on his hips, already feeling sick because of his nerves, his stomach a tight knot.

"We have no lead actor," Stein said slowly. "Barry Allen is in rehab and he's not coming out anytime soon. It was either this or getting arrested."

"Yeah," Harrison sighed, "I figured as much." He ran a hand over his mouth. "You can't put those stars in prison nowadays. They always get the easy treatment and head to a fucking SPA."

"Hey, easy there, easy," Stein tried calming Wells down. "It's all right."

"Easy?! All right?! Are you kidding me?! What's gonna happen to the movie now?! Is it all over?! Just tell me already!" Harry raised his voice, not able to withhold this tension any longer.

"The movie still has a green light," Martin calmly explained and Harrison could only open his eyes and mouth widely in a silent _what_ , completely speechless.

Seeing that the director was currently in too big a shock, Stein continued, "This is a good thing for you, Harry. All this time you wanted an older hero and I suggest you simply fill in the gap. You know the character the best as you wrote him. Besides, I saw the tapes from the table read, you were amazing."

Harrison closed his mouth and then opened it and closed back up, not able to even comprehend what he heard. And Martin was just looking at him with a stupid smirk on his face!

"Um…" Wells eventually uttered, finally finding his voice and going with, "the script?"

"You can come back to your original. Honestly… we either pull the plug and lose all the money already invested or we try and salvage whatever we can by meeting your vision. I'll take my chances with the other option, though you won't get more money. Just make it work, ok?"

"But… but I'm too old for a superhero!" Harrison finally pointed out, still not able to wrap his mind around all of this. "And I am as hell _not_ firing Caitlin!" he then added.

Stein frowned on hearing that. "Why would we fire her?" he asked. "We can't even afford to pay her the damages required by the signed contract. No, we're sticking with her."

"So…" Harrison hesitated just then, a thousand thoughts running through his already overwhelmed mind, "how is this going to work, exactly…?" Yet, the big elephant in the room remained unspoken.

"I don't care!" Stein threw his hands up into the air. "You figure it out! Add another angle, making it more interesting! You never wanted this movie to be just about a superhero, so push that to the background and add some age difference issues! It may actually be a hit and you know what? It would be what _you_ yourself wanted from the _start_."

There was sudden silence in the room as all of that began sinking in and Harry truly thought he was dreaming. Because just like that, he got his movie back. He actually had an improved script as he couldn't help but work on it and he… he would play the lead, he suddenly swallowed hard, flushed all over. He would get to actually _kiss_ the woman he'd been recently obsessing about and now it didn't seem to matter anymore that it would be on camera. His lips would be touching hers and… Oh, God! Why did he have to write such a meaningful love scene anyway?! And through getting the part he'd never even dreamt of, he would just have to go with it, taking upon an issue of the age gap between two people who loved each other.

Somehow he dug his own grave.

* * *

Harry's legs felt like jelly when he finally stepped out of his car, having arrived at the place where the movie was being shot. Cisco along with some other behind camera crew members were already waiting for him in anticipation, going out of their minds, needing to hear the news. And he didn't think he could handle their joy at the moment, so he settled for telling them that the show must go on and they should pick up where they left off.

"Oh, wait…" he hesitated just then, coming to a stop, "actually… erase all the Allen footage. We're starting all over again with less time, so we better get to work!"

"Wait… What do you mean?" Ramon asked with a frown, not following.

"Apparently, I'm the new lead. Oh… and do me a favor and throw away the altered script. We're back to the original with some small changes made by me." Once he said that, his assistant was just standing there, completely speechless and staring at his boss openmouthed. "You heard me! Back to work!"

"But wait, there's… ah…" Cisco then called out after Harry, but the older man didn't listen, heading for his trailer. "Well, suit yourself. I could've warned you she's in there, but… maybe I better not."

* * *

Harry stepped into his trailer with the intention to grab the scrip when he came to a sudden stop, seeing Caitlin Snow pacing nervously.

"Snow," he said her name in surprise, suddenly feeling as though he was suffocating. Why did she have to be here now anyway? Was she waiting for him?

"Sorry. I'm so sorry for the intrusion," she quickly apologized, thinking he was mad at her. "I just… What is it? What's gonna happen? I need to hear it from you, Harrison."

He didn't answer. Instead he just walked over to her and she squealed in surprise as he lifted her up from the floor and swirled around, eventually putting her down and closing his arms around her, hating himself for how she made him feel, hating himself for his own reactions to this woman, yet loving every second of holding her in his arms. It was just his luck that all this time he had no idea how it felt to truly like someone and then this woman appeared in his life and showed him. The problem was her age. And career. And the movie. Why did everything always have to be so damn complicated?! He groaned inwardly.

"I take it… it's good news, then?" she asked rather breathlessly and straight into his ear, which caused him to wake up and he was just about to release her from his arms when they both heard the door opening again.

"Dad! I can't believe you're gonna be the lead in your own movie!" they heard a girl yelling in excitement before she gasped, "Oh… sorry…"

The embracing couple jumped away from one another on hearing the intruder, but what they'd been doing still didn't miss Jesse Wells's attention.

"You're gonna be the _lead_?" Caitlin gasped, slightly terrified of the implications and feeling way too hot. After all, she had just been being held by Harry and it felt… She didn't even want to think about the implications since she enjoyed the hug immensely and he smelt so, so good and…

"You're Caitlin Snow! I was dying to meet you!" the teenager threw her way just in the same moment and there was sudden silence.

Poor Harry just stood there between those two women, not really knowing what to say, how to react or what to do.

Eventually, he turned to Caitlin first and said, "Yes. This is the big news. Stein wants me to take the lead so we'll be playing in this movie together. And hi, Jesse, you surprised me there," he then turned to his daughter.

"I wanted to! It was supposed to be a nice surprise, but then I found out about Barry and well… I wanted to make you feel better. _Then_ Cisco told me that you were actually taking the lead, so all's well that ends well, right, dad? It's gonna be awesome! Ilove that you're going to have the movie you always wanted! I'm so happy for you!" The girl ran over to him and gave him a hug. "And how are you anyway? Ok?" she then asked in care and Caitlin, being an unwilling witness to this scene, actually smiled, seeing that Harry and Jesse had an amazing connection. That was good. At least he had this much. "I am kind of disappointed that I didn't get to meet Barry, though! I was dying to!"

"Oh, no, over my dead body you will!" Harry immediately bristled and Jesse got angry, letting him go with a scowl.

Teenage drama slash rebellion? Caitlin guessed as the age of the girl seemed to match the usual mood swings.

"What?" Harry asked. "The boy is bad news!"

"I didn't want to date him, dad," Jesse told him, rolling her eyes. "I just wanted to meet the guy!"

"And now you won't…" Suddenly, Harrison shifted his eyes back to Caitlin who was still standing there, not really knowing what to do. In the end, she gestured to the door and said that she'd better go. "Snow, it's ok…"

"You should spend some quality time with your daughter before we start working on the movie again," she assured him with a smile. "It was nice to meet you, Jesse."

"Oh, it was so nice to meet you, too!" the girl waved the woman goodbye and as Caitlin left, she turned to her dad with expectant look in her eyes. "Sooooo?"

"What?" he just asked, taken aback by the insightfulness of his own daughter. And to think he was partially responsible for creating this little monster!

"You totally like her! And she's _so_ nice! I approve of this choice! You should go for it!"

"Wh… I… Um… What?" Harrison sputtered just then, rendered unable to form a coherent sentence.

"Just saying, dad," Jesse assured him with a shrug. "You've been miserable with mom to a point in which I was actually praying for you two to finally get divorced and that's definitely not a normal behavior for a child! You should go for it! You deserve to be happy!"

"I didn't ask you to play a matchmaker," Harry eventually said in obvious annoyance. "In fact, it's none of your business!"

"Aha! So there's definitely something there!"

He nearly sighed, wondering what to do with this child of his…

* * *

"You're totally into him, aren't you?" Iris West asked and that snapped Caitlin out of her reverie.

"What?" she raised her head from the script she was reading, clearly horrified at the idea of reenacting this love scene that Harrison seemed to have expanded. She just… she wasn't sure she would be able to be professional about this whole thing when doing it with someone she… Damn it!

"Talking about the hot director, now lead actor?" Iris hinted, looking for Cait's reaction and when she spotted the crimson on the woman's cheeks, she grabbed the script and looked at it before Snow managed to yank it back. "Oh, I see," she said, nodding in understanding. "So I hit the jackpot! You're totally into him! Well, I say go for it, girl! I was there during the table read that apparently got Wells the lead role. The chemistry between you two was off the charts! And it was just a rehearsal! I can't wait to see you two doing actual scenes in front of the cameras!"

"Oh, God, just kill me now!" Caitlin moaned and hid her face in her hands. "And here I thought doing it with Barry would be hard!"

Iris just shook her head. "Girl! You're such a typical woman! So hard to please! Be happy the movie is still happening and it's back to its original script. Besides, you got to spend some extra time with that hot stuff!"

Caitlin finally lifted her head from her hands, looking up at her friend. "I know. You're totally right!" She bit on the inside of her lips briefly before continuing, "What's wrong with me?! I _should_ be ecstatic!"

"I think the answer to that question is the one and only Harrison Wells."

"Wait… You think he's… 'hot stuff'?" Cait suddenly asked, just now picking up on that.

"Yep. But no worries! It's just stating a fact! I have no feelings for this man whatsoever!"

"Don't you think he's… um… a little too old for me? That there's too many complications? Him being the director and us working on this movie together and him just getting a divorce and…"

"Wow! Wow! Wow! Girl! Relax!" Iris stopped that stream of words. "You need to loosen up a bit! This is Hollywood! Live a little! Seriously, you're like way too good and innocent for this business."

"I am not!"

"Yeah? Prove it, then!"

The women just ended up shooting glances at one another when Jesse came over.

"Cait? I just wanted to say bye before I go."

"Oh, already?" Caitlin seemed surprised and she wasn't even sure whether it was because Harry's daughter was leaving so soon or maybe because the girl actually wanted to say goodbye to her.

"Yeah. Dad's gonna be super busy now and I don't want to interrupt. We'll catch up once the shooting's finished. Anyways, it was awesome to meet you! I hope to see you more often in the future!" After that, Jesse hugged stunned Caitlin.

"Um… sure… of course! It was amazing to meet you as well," the older woman finally answered, still a little shocked as she was watching Jesse go.

"Damn, girl!" Iris just said. "What are you even waiting for if you already have the approval of his daughter?! Ok! Ok!" She lifted her hands up in a gesture of surrender. "I'll shut up!" After that, she left as well and Caitlin only groaned when picking up the script again and readying herself for her first scene with Harrison. Gladly, this one was normal and with no steam. Not that it was comforting, though…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can thank lovely t._v._l. from instagram for this turn of events. She’s the one who suggested Harry to replace Barry and inspired me to come up with the whole switch!


	6. Chapter 6

The next few days was a busy blur to both Harrison and Caitlin. They were working together in front of the camera so well that they didn't even need as many retakes as it would usually be necessary and for a change, Harry had a good feeling about the movie. The deadline was close, but with what they'd already done, he could actually see himself meeting it with no problems. Still, there was so much more to his working with Snow than just this. They couldn't help but spend all the time they had together, whether it was on the screen or behind the scenes. They gravitated towards each other so naturally that they were secretly wondering when this fire that had seemed to be building up ever since the first moment they'd interacted together, would finally erupt. In fact, they were so into one another that they were oblivious to the rest of the cast watching them intently, noticing their chemistry both on and off screen. Cisco and Iris went as far as to actually place bets on when the couple would finally hit it off, just now seeing them sitting closely over coffee. They always seemed to be together and if their respective friends didn't know any better, they would think the pair was already having a love affair.

"So…" Harry was just saying when going over the schedule.

"So?" Caitlin repeated, not knowing what he meant by that. When he didn't say anything, she looked up at him and noticed his troubled expression. "Harry?"

"Um… it's just… tomorrow's a big scene, is all," he said and immediately looked away, acting all weird.

She frowned at that and before he knew it, she was taking the script from him.

"Oh…" she finally uttered.

"Oh, indeed. The big elephant in the room, wouldn't you say?" he asked, his radiant blues looking directly into her hazels.

"I would," she agreed, swallowing hard and actually feeling her cheeks flush. "Tomorrow we kiss."

"Tomorrow we kiss," he confirmed with a nod, his eyes involuntarily settling on her lips. "It's just… ah, forget it," he then dismissed what he was going to say. "I guess, see you tomorrow…?" He got up hastily, picking up various notes along with his script.

"Harry… wait… what…?" she was confused as he ignored her, walking so fast he might actually be running from her.

"What was _that_ all about?" she suddenly heard Iris's voice and the woman took the now vacant seat.

"I wish I knew," Snow sighed. "I could swear he…"

"He does," Iris immediately confirmed.

"You don't even know what I was going to say…"

"That you have the hots for each other? I think we already talked about it."

"And I thought I made it clear that we were keeping it all professional. Only tomorrow I'm gonna have to kiss him and I don't know if I can handle it and look at him the same way again!" Caitlin started panicking.

"You know, this will just be acti… Oh! I get it! You really have feelings for him! Girl! Trust me, there is _no_ keeping things professional anymore. You two should just go for it."

"Yeah? With him running away from me every time we get close?" Snow snorted.

"Just kiss him." Iris shrugged.

"I will. Tomorrow."

"Well, maybe you should do it today, so your first kiss wouldn't be for the movie," the woman advised.

That was easy to say, Caitlin sighed inwardly, looking after Harry but not seeing him anywhere. In fact, nothing seemed easy anymore. She could swear sometimes she wished to just come back to simpler times…

* * *

Caitlin was changing into her own clothes after the last scene she had that day. Yes, she was nervous. Yes, it had taken her a few more takes than usual to get it right this time. Damn it! She couldn't even think straight, not to mention do her job! She knew well that she'd screwed up and that maybe Harry would manage to salvage something from what she'd just pulled, but…

"Damn it!" she cursed, stepping out of her work skirt and grabbing her jeans. "Fuck this shit!"

In that moment the door to her changing room flew open and she jumped, immediately turning around to see the intruder and then stopping in shock as she came face to face with no one else but Harrison Wells. And she was still wearing only her underwear.

"Snow, listen…" he started, but once he took in the state she was in, the words died in his throat and his eyes involuntary traced down her body, actually igniting a fire in her rather than anger. In the end, he released something resembling a heavy groan.

"Harry…" She wasn't able to stop staring at him as well, because the way he was devouring her with eyes… It was just…

"I… I should… I'm sorry… I should go…" he mumbled and the hand he still held the doorknob with actually turned white, so strong his grip had become.

"It's… it's ok," Caitlin suddenly found herself saying, so tired of fighting this. They clearly liked each other more than they should. Actually, she had real feelings for this man and they were growing. They were growing to the point in which she couldn't seem to perform her job right because she was constantly distracted. Maybe the only way out of this mess was to just stop fighting this and give in.

Apparently, Harrison thought the same because instead of leaving, he just closed the door behind him and made a beeline for her. She met him half-way, his hands already reaching for her face as their lips crashed together in a heated kiss. In fact, it was so much more than a first kiss should be with teeth scraping and biting gently, tongues licking and mouth sucking as he pushed backwards until her back hit the wall, looking for a needed purchase.

They were kissing in a haze, not able to get enough of each other, overwhelmed by the sudden passion, by the fire that spread so widely there was no way they could quench it any other way. Caitlin put her arms around Harry, bringing him even closer, feeling his strong body pressing against her own, feeling the already hard bulge at the front of his pants and groaning as it came in contact with her belly. Her hands then went up to bury themselves in his soft curls, her tongue ran along his lower lip and he groaned, pressing his body into her again and again, cupping her breasts through her bra and…

He froze, resting his forehead against her own, his eyes opening to look into hers, his breath heavy on her face.

"I'm sorry…" he eventually said, forcing himself to pull away, but she didn't let him go far.

"Don't be," she told him. "It's ok."

"But this… this shouldn't happen like this."

"But it did."

"Snow…"

"Um… if you regret it… then… then it's fine… I… I just thought…" Out of the sudden she felt embarrassed, because she thought he felt the same way whereas…

"I don't regret it," he quickly calmed her mind down, seeing the sudden panic in her eyes. "It's just… this… this shouldn't happen."

"Why? Because it's your movie?"

"Probably. But I also meant so many other things…"

"I don't care. I… The truth is…" She took a deep breath and faced him bravely. "The truth is, Harrison," she started, getting herself lost in those blue eyes of his, "that I've never desired a man in my life as much as I desire you."

That did it. That confession alone caused him to lose the last remnants of his restrain. He was all over her in no time, his hands reaching to the clasp of her bra and undoing it, replacing the lacy cups; his tongue tracing down, mouth closing around the bud on her right breast, tongue running along it, lips sucking as she squirmed underneath his touch, not able to take this heavenly torture anymore, reaching to the front of his pants and applying some pressure.

He groaned loudly before proceeding to her other breast, seeming to devour it as she thrashed against him, not knowing where to find purchase anymore, the pleasure far too great.

"It goes both ways," she then heard his throaty voice as his mouth moved over hers again and his hand cupped her core through the soaked fabric of her panties, a finger teasing the slit before finding a way inside when tearing the lace apart.

He moved his finger inside her, adding another, pumping them and watching her reactions, finding the sight the most tantalizing and beautiful thing he'd even seen. And why did he have to meet her so late in his life? He suddenly wondered, but then forced those thoughts away because this wasn't the time and place for thinking about the future and the inevitable he was sure would eventually come. Right now he got to know how it was to have this amazing creature and he would savor every moment of it before she left him.

Because he _was_ too old for her, he thought. She would eventually go off to have her career, to…

_No_ , something screamed inside of him. He would not think about this now. Now he would enjoy this woman, her body and everything she was willing to give him no matter how much it would hurt later on.

Thankfully, she chose that moment to finally open his pants and then she had him hard and ready in her hand, her delicate fingers stroking over the flesh, making for such a hot picture that he had to close his eyes as not to lose it.

He pushed her towards the dressing table, sitting her there, feeling her legs going around his middle as she was so desperate to feel him inside and he couldn't wait to bury himself there either, settling on a hard fuck because none of them could take a slow pace now anyway.

She pulled him close, her arms around his neck as they lips collided again. She lost control over her own when he entered her, groaning into her mouth, kissing her sloppily as he felt her heat enveloping him. It was torture, this pleasure and he never wanted it to end, pushing inside her over and over again, faster and harder, turned on by her vocal responses, the whimpers and moans urging him on.

His body was already drenched in sweat and he nearly couldn't take this anymore, feeling her slick channel around him, driving him crazy, making him want to let go so, so badly, but he would sooner die than let himself come without her; her breasts grazing his chest, her arms around him, her hands on his buttocks, squeezing the flesh there, her soft skin…

She screamed and he finally felt her contract around him mercilessly, pushing him over the edge, causing him to lose of all his control, not able to hold on for even one more second.

And that wasn't the end.

Fifteen minutes later, he was fucking her on the carpet as they were lying on the floor, not able to get enough of each other. And she was even more beautiful, sprawled beneath him, squirming relentlessly…

This woman would truly be the death of him, he thought when he followed her into the abyss one more time… and he was sure this wouldn't be the last that night.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Certain _noise_ detail as requested /grin/

The moment she woke up, Caitlin felt a little disoriented.

The first thing striking her was her own exhaustion that she could not only feel in her head, but also in her entire body. Hadn't she just slept? Why would she even wake up if she hadn't gotten enough of said sleep?

 _Oh, right,_ she figured, hearing the sound that woke her. Her alarm clock. She had to get up and show up for work in time!

Only when she reached to the bedside table, she found there was none and what more, just then she realized that not only was she naked, but there was also an equally naked and warm body lying beside her.

It finally hit her.

The bed she was lying in felt so different because she wasn't in her trailer. In fact, she was in Harrison's as they'd managed to make it here after… She blushed and then swallowed hard, a heavy groan being released from her lips when she turned onto her back and covered her face with her hands. So it finally happened. She'd slept with him. She couldn't really say she was surprised. She'd been feeling way too much for this man than she should and the only thing that was stopping her from saying anything was the fact that he was her boss and that he might not feel the same way.

Only apparently he did since he'd practically jumped her the night before. That alone told her he'd been struggling with his own desire for her just like she'd had with hers for him. Brilliant.

The alarm ceased and she realized that it was actually a cell phone. Must've belonged to Harry's as she left hers in her dressing room… somewhere… she would have to look.

"Good morning," she then heard his voice, still a little groggy from sleeping and so, so sexy.

Damn, this man would be her doom and the end to her career, she groaned again, not lifting her hands from her face, feeling mortified. Because once the world found out… If they continued this, whatever it was, people were bound to catch up. She would soon be famous for playing in his movie; if she wasn't already and… She knew that no matter how hard she might try, some paparazzi would eventually snap them a picture. Well, unless this was just a one night stand… but she doubted it. Harry wouldn't risk so much for just one night with her, would he?

"Are you ok?" he asked in a concerned voice as she still hadn't said anything, nor looked at him. "Caitlin, I thought you… I thought you wanted this." There was a hint of fear in his tone and just that caused her to finally take her hands away from her face and to look at him. And God, was he gorgeous! Those radiant blues were boring into hers, waiting for her answer, the hesitation clear on his face. He was worried. He was worried she might regret this and she truly hoped he didn't think she'd slept with him because he was the movie director and she wanted to have a career. God! That sounded so appalling in her head that she just had to speak up already and calm him down.

"Yeah… Um… sure… It's just… It happened so fast…"

"I'm sorry if I…"

"Stop. Stop right there," she cut in immediately, sitting up on the bed, but still covering herself with the sheet. It somehow felt embarrassing to expose her body to his eyes like this despite the fact that he'd already seen, touch and _kissed_ , damn it!, pretty much all of it. "I don't regret what happened, Harrison," she assured him. "I'm just… a little overwhelmed, I guess."

"Well, in that case, let me stop you from thinking. Let's just feel," he suggested and before she knew it, he was capturing her lips with his and giving her such a dirty kiss that she was left dazed and breathless, only able to feel him and to touch his body, enjoying the hard planes of his chest, the firm butt…

"For a director, you got a pretty impressive physique, mister," she teased him just then.

"Well, I've had an entire lifetime of frustration to unload in the gym," he explained.

"Um… ok, I get it. And I like it. So, so much."

"I like your body, too… and more. So much, much more…" He cupped her breast, teasing the nipple as he was kissing her when… "Damn it!" he cursed because his phone started ringing all over again. "What time is it anyway?!" he asked as though he just now remembered that he had a movie to make and the both of them were probably already late to set.

Caitlin was disappointed when he moved away, leaving her body cold and way too needy. Then she was even more let down when he cursed again and got up, looking for his pants and throwing her way that they were, indeed, late and they had a kiss to film.

She totally forgot about that.

"Well, I least we won't have our first kiss in front of an entire crowd of people," she said when finally heaving herself up from the bed as well.

Harry actually chuckled when putting his shirt on and then he stilled.

"I think I need a shower first… Meet me on the set in ten?"

"I don't think I can make myself look presentable enough in barely ten minutes," she complained, putting her clothes back on and deciding she needed to head to her own trailer for a shower as well. If they took it together, they might end up engaging themselves in some funny business they so did not have the time for.

"Ok, I'll figure something up. Just hurry. And Snow…?" he asked her when she was just by the door.

"Yeah?" She turned around and he could swear she'd never looked so beautiful to him like she did now all disheveled, thoroughly kissed and fucked… And fuck, he had to stop thinking about _that,_ because he needed his focus.

"Maybe we can pick this up later," he said since it was stronger than him. He just couldn't help it. He liked and desired her way too much.

She smiled at him radiantly and his breath was quite literally taken away. Then she finally left and he was still standing there like an idiot, staring after her.

* * *

When Caitlin finally showed up on the set, she was all jittery and breathless, trying not to pay attention to the looks the crew was probably giving her and as hell trying not to look at Harry. Though she felt his presence all right. In fact, it was overwhelming. She didn't even have to meet his eyes to know where he was, feeling flushed at the very memory of their first kiss the night before and what happened _after_ … Oh, boy, she was truly screwed! She started wondering how actors dealt with on set romances, because for her it already felt exhausting.

Not that she regretted anything. If so, she was so, so fucking happy and couldn't stop thinking about the man. In fact, he was just about everything that she could think about; the movie, her role in it and her entire career somehow disappearing, flying away from her brain. But she couldn't live off of love, could she?

Wait… _love_? She wasn't sure they were actually _there_. And quite frankly, she didn't want to think about it too much because she was afraid it may all eventually end.

She was never the type to just have an illicit affair only for it to be over along with the movie. She was very constant in her affections, didn't get carried away by the moment… Well, except the night before, but she still didn't see it that way, because she'd wanted Harry long before that. In fact, if she were to be finally honest with herself, there was just something about him that she'd noticed the very moment she'd met him.

Before she knew it, her makeup was all done and the cameras were rolling and they had their big scene. And then something magical happened.

If Caitlin was afraid that she wouldn't be able to raise up to the challenge that day because of her feelings, she was wrong. In fact, they _helped_ and a _lot_. Once she looked at Harry and Cisco screamed action since the director was otherwise occupied with playing in the scene, everything stopped mattering but them. They were perfect, acting so naturally it almost seemed surreal. And the kiss… his hands on her face, the gentle touch of his callused fingers, his breath on her cheeks as he finally got closer and their lips touched… it seemed magical to her. She never thought she would be able to forget about the people around her in such a scene, that she would be able to get carried away by the moment, disregarding all of those strangers staring and filming. Yet, she did.

When she heard _cut_ , she noticed Harry smiling at her with sparks dancing in his eyes and then he nodded, letting her know she did a great job. They repeated the scene again just to be sure they got it all, but in the end there wasn't really much need for any retakes and therefore, their coming late to work that day didn't really delay anything.

* * *

During the short break, Caitlin finally managed to grab something to eat and barely had she swallowed the first bite, Iris sat down by her side, saying, "Talk, girl! Talk! Tell me all the details!" her voice not able to contain the excitement.

"Um… what do you mean?" Cait just asked, playing innocent. Then again, she didn't tell Iris about her night with Harry, so why would the woman even suspect anything?

"Oh, come on! If you and Wells showing up late to set today wasn't a clue enough, the noises you were making last night totally were!"

Caitlin choked on her food and needed to down an entire glass of water before she was finally able to breathe normally, her face crimson and it wasn't from the small accident. It was embarrassment.

" _What_?!" she gasped, never before in her life feeling so mortified.

"Don't worry! It's not as bad as it sounds!" Iris quickly followed with, lifting her hands up in a calming gesture. "It's just that I was looking for you last night. I wanted to ask about the scene we were gonna have together and then I came across Cisco and he was looking for Wells…"

"Oh my God!" Caitlin exclaimed, covering her mouth with her hand and forgetting about her hunger and the food on the table altogether. " _Cisco knows_?!"

"Relax! We both saw what was happening long before you two hit it off! In fact, he was right when saying it would take you two much longer to spend the night together. I guess he knows Harrison all too well and he knows he wouldn't make any rushed…"

"Iris, rewind!" Caitlin stopped the woman right there. "What did you hear?"

"Oh, don't worry about that!" West waved her hand. "We just heard some noises that couldn't be mistaken for anything and… and then we left. That's all. We weren't trying to intrude or anything. We just happened to come across."

"Oh, God, just kill me now…" Caitlin groaned when leaning back in her seat and covering her face with her hands.

* * *

"Come again?" Harry was just asking Cisco, looking at his younger friend as though he was trying to kill him with his eyes, his hands set on his hips. Boss was clearly angry, that much Cisco already gathered up.

"Oh, it's nothing! We might've heard _something_ , but it wasn't like we were spying! It was an accident!" the younger man was trying to explain himself. "Please, don't fire me!" he then pleaded in a changed voice as Harry was still glaring.

In the end, Wells just sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"Who else knows?" he eventually asked.

"No one! I swear! Just me and Iris! And if I may…"

"You most certainly may not!" Harry quickly dismissed that, but his assistant continued anyway.

"…you two really make a great couple! I'm happy for you, Harry."

There was another sigh coming from the boss and Cisco hesitated, "What's wrong? Why are you acting like this? Aren't you happy? All those years we've known each other and I've never seen you react this way to any woman, not even your own wife, man! Seriously, Barry getting caught drunk was the best thing that could happen to this movie and to you! And you two… you look so good together!"

"It's not that simple, Cisco," Wells just said in the end when falling into his chair.

"Why the frack not?" Ramon wanted to know as he watched the older man release another heavy sigh. "If you love her and she loves you, just be together!"

"Let's see… for starters she's too young for me."

"And here I thought we lived in a free world and we could do anything we wanted!" Cisco said when directing himself to the exit. "Word of advice, Harry, stop thinking, ok? Because thinking too much never helped anyone. Just do what you feel is right, is all!"

"I am," Harry said to an empty room, his voice tired.


	8. Chapter 8

Every single time during the next few days when they found themselves left alone Harrison wanted to talk to her, to finally voice what had been lying heavily on him, but she just made it plain impossible. She was simply too beautiful, too smart, too gorgeous, too funny, too… _everything_. To put it in a nutshell, Caitlin Snow was perfect and he wanted nothing more than to lose himself within her completely, then to start actually planning a future with her, because it was true, he'd never before in his entire life felt this way about anyone. The problem was that this relationship – if he could even call it that way since they hadn't had any serious talk about it yet – was and definitely would be even more controversial once they came out. She was this young and amazingly talented actress who was just raising to fame and he was nothing more than an aging director who'd suddenly found himself turned actor in his late forties. This couldn't work. He'd been in this business for way too long to think otherwise. If they kept on doing this, if they kept sleeping together, someone would end up getting hurt. Probably him.

Because he was sure that once she gained her fame and started working for bigger directors, making even better movies and probably one day winning an Oscar, she would forget him. In the end, he would become a burden to her. In the end, she would be stunning and he would simply be getting old and people would start asking what she was doing with him.

Harry wasn't sure he even believed in true love that people saw in the movies. He wrote it into his own project, but the ending wasn't happy. Far from it. Maybe the ugly truth was that he was pouring onto the scrip what he felt deep down inside and would never admit to it even to himself.

Today was just one more day of him trying to find the right moment to talk to her, but as always, he couldn't resist this unworldly creature and they ended up fucking again.

Was this even a relationship? He thought briefly as he entered her fast and needy, his hands already roaming all over her body, not able to wait to touch her everywhere, to feel her move against him, to hear her call his name… Or maybe was this simply a love affair? He didn't know. Didn't want to find out just yet. In fact, all he wanted was to postpone the inevitable for just one more day.

And a day would have to be it since the next one she would begin her week off during which he would be filming scenes without her in them. She deserved this break, she really did, but he knew he had to talk to her first. He couldn't possibly let this go any further. He'd already screwed up majorly and yes, both figuratively and literally speaking.

* * *

Caitlin was eating her lunch, enjoying her time alone, the smile never fading from her face. She was simply too happy. Well, ok, maybe a little sore as well, but it was the pleasant kind of sore that actually reminded her of what was happening between her and Harrison. They hadn't talked about it yet, but she understood that he was busy with the movie that needed to be perfect if he wanted to maintain his position in the business. She was also pretty sure that it was more than just a brief affair for him as he didn't seem the type of a man who seduced actresses on sets of his movies. She'd actually done some research online, that she would never confess to, and found nothing. Not even one rumor. He was just married and now it said he was divorced and that was it. All the reporters wrote about was his downfall suddenly turned into the biggest opportunity of his career. There was absolutely nothing there about any possible romances. Even Cisco hinted that he was happy his boss finally found someone just for him.

"Hi, can I…? I mean… Are you busy?" she suddenly heard a male voice and was forced out of her daydreaming about the man she was totally falling in love with. For a moment she was actually confused who the stranger approaching her now was, worrying that same fan might've sneaked onto the set, but then she finally recognized him.

"Um… I guess…" she eventually responded. "You're one of the stunt guys, aren't you? I'm sorry, I don't remember…"

"It's Ronnie. Ronnie Raymond," he quickly followed with as he sat down by her side, betraying obvious signs of nervousness and she already didn't like where this was going. "Listen… this may be too presumptuous of me and highly unprofessional, but… would you, um, maybe like to have dinner with me sometime?" he finally got it out and she felt uncomfortable since she hated to let guys down, but in this situation it wasn't as though she had a choice in the matter.

"Oh," yet, came out of her mouth first. "Ronnie, listen…"

He sighed before following with, "Maybe before you shut me down, at least think about it? I'm not trying to impose or score with someone famous, I swear!... God, nothing like that," he quickly explained and then winced, just now realizing how it sounded. "God, I'm so sorry. Let me try this again…"

"There's no need, really, Ronnie," she quickly cut in, feeling sorry for the poor guy. "It's just… I'm not exactly _free_ , if you know what I mean."

"Oh… you mean like you're seeing someone? Ok. No surprise there, considering how beautiful you are… Yeah… Sorry for bothering you," he was clearly embarrassed now and wanted to leave as soon as possible.

"Thank you for asking, though," she said then, desperate to make this less awkward or at least make him feel better.

He sent her way a small and nervous smile and then just added, "Must be a lucky guy."

"I hope so," Caitlin murmured under her breath, actually for the first time admitting to herself that maybe she wasn't totally ok with not talking to Harrison about their relationship. Maybe it was time. Somehow, she dreaded that talk.

* * *

He knew they would eventually have to speak about it and he knew that it would have to be that particular day, but nothing prepared him for her actually bringing it up. If so, it made it that much more difficult.

"I'm not trying to push or trap you, Harry," Caitlin quickly added when he just sighed and took off his glasses, placing them on the desk in front of him before putting his elbows there as well and hiding his face in his hands. "I understand that you've just gotten out of a relationship and…"

"Snow, that relationship was over for years," he immediately made it clear.

"Well, ok, then what is it? I'm sorry for ruining the mood and the good thing that we have going here, but… I guess I would like to know _where_ we are going with this. I've never been, nor I am, a girl who engages herself in meaningless sex, so…"

"Me neither. I mean, I've never been such a guy," he corrected himself when finally facing her and then he stood up so he wouldn't have to look up at her. "It's none of the listed above, Snow. I just… God," he sighed again, placing his hands on his hips and looking aside.

"Oh my God," she repeated after him with a gasp, taking in his expression and pose. "You're breaking up with me, aren't you? Oh God." Her hand wandered up to her head all on its own and she felt as though she was suffocating. They hadn't even finished the movie yet. There was still so much to be done. Scenes to be filmed. _Their_ scenes, including a _bed_ scene and he was _breaking up with her_?! How was she supposed to remain professional in front of the camera after _this_?! And maybe this was her lesson to never engage in any romances while filming a movie. She should have known it the moment he'd kissed her. She shouldn't have let him go any further than that. She should've told him to wait till the movie was over and maybe _then_ she wouldn't have a broken heart.

Suddenly, she regretted he'd taken a chance on her. She would've definitely been better off without him making her career. She would've been better off without any career to begin with, because this business was ruthless and merciless and she seemed to be too good and too soft inside to handle it. She should have never mixed her feelings with work.

"Snow, I'm sorry," he just said in the end, still avoiding his eyes, his own broken expression boring into the floor.

"You're _sorry_?! Why? At least tell me why!" She knew she was shaking and losing control and she hated herself for that, that much more. Crap, she already had tears in her eyes that she couldn't possibly stop! So much for controlling her body's responses, so much for being a good actress!

"Almost twenty years of difference between us is too much and you must know it," he eventually responded with.

"I don't care about that!"

"Really?" he asked and finally, he forced himself to look into her eyes and what he saw in there truly killed him. He didn't know which one was worse, breaking her heart or breaking his own. "How do you see us in ten, twenty years?" he asked the perfect question. "I just need you to picture yourself that, Caitlin. Can you do it for me?"

She looked into his blues and saw them empty. So that was what he was worried about, she finally understood. That in ten years he would be almost sixty whereas she… Ok, picturing him in twenty years scared her a little, she had to admit that much. And he must've noticed the look passing through her face because he just said, "Exactly," and left the trailer.

And she was just standing there broken, stunned, not even able to comprehend what just happened.

* * *

She didn't have the strength to seek him out again, actually grateful for her upcoming free week, because she needed it. She needed it to think, to figure out what she wanted from life. Above all, she needed to have some break from Harrison as well, not actually sure whether she loved or hated him at the moment.

"Hey, are you ok?" someone asked her while she was on her way to her car and she looked that way briefly, seeing Ronnie.

He was young, handsome. Just a nice stunt guy who liked her. Who was probably perfect for her in every way.

But the problem was that she didn't want him. She wanted Harrison. And there was no changing that fact.

She might've been screwed up to want this kind of future. To want her future by the side of a forty-six years old man whereas she was barely thirty herself. But she didn't seem to care because it felt _right_ inside, damn it!

"For God's sake! Just leave me alone!" she snapped at Ronnie and the grimace appearing on his face did not miss her attention.

She felt guilty once she got into her car, she couldn't deny that, but it wasn't enough to actually made her come back to him and apologize.

She didn't care. All she cared about was her screwed up life and what she wanted and couldn't seem to get.

Didn't she get a say in this, too, damn it?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don’t hate me. Just wait for more, please.


	9. Chapter 9

During her time away Caitlin had done a lot of thinking and in the end she was actually grateful for it. When her initial emotional reaction to Harrison's 'break-up' – or maybe rather what it really was – passed, she realized he might be a little right there, that she needed to actually think of her future and what she truly wanted from it. Yes, there was an age gap between them and a pretty significant one to that and he was right, she had to make a decision whether she wanted to be with him, whether she _felt_ for him enough to actually face all those difficulties that his older age would surely ensue in the future. The answer to that was surprisingly easy once she found some peace and quiet and just listened to her heart. And then something else came to her mind. He'd been through a very messy divorce and dived right into a semblance of a relationship with her – because could they really call all this fucking a relationship? Yet, it still didn't feel like a rebound, so there must've been more to it.

Indeed, it was, she figured, going back in her mind to the time they'd spent together, to how easy it was to talk to him, how well they understood each other and worked in synch. The problem wasn't Harrison's lack of sufficient feelings, but his care for her. Also, he must've been afraid that once he actually gave his entire heart to someone, it would all eventually blow up straight into his face. Not that he would ever admit such a thing to her, but she knew and understood him enough by now to be able to tell that that was it. He'd rather cut the ties now when it didn't hurt as much as it would in a few years.

And she would have none of it.

Once back on set, she tried to find the right moment to locate him and talk to him about it, but he seemed nowhere to be found. Or was deliberately hiding from her, she figured with a sigh. What more, the next scene they were going to have was the most uncomfortable one as it was a love scene. Just fucking perfect, Caitlin thought with a sigh. It would be hard enough even without their recent not so amicable parting. Just fucking perfect.

She finally spotted him, but it was way too late for any kind of a talk as he appeared just minutes before the scene was due, barely even looking at her and acting all professional, telling everybody what to do and then schooling Cisco on operating the camera the right way and at the right angle that he wanted for the scene before finally shifting his eyes to her. And yet, beside maybe a slight twitch on his face, she saw nothing, his expression entirely blank, rid of any emotions. Who would think he was such a great actor? She nearly huffed, feeling anger raising inside of her. Maybe she was too good for him. Maybe she should've been harder. Maybe she should've hated him rather than love him now…

Then again, it wasn't as though she had any control over how she was feeling. All she could do was to try and not let those thoughts control her and that was already hard enough.

Before she knew it, the lights changed and she was dropping her robe whereas Harry did the same and they stood in front of each other. Just then, when the scene was about to begin and they were simply to reach for one another, pretending they had already been in a major lip lock before the camera caught them, there was an apologetic look in his eyes and it softened her heart a little.

He was already making his way to her, placing his hand on her face and it felt foreign somehow, the wedge he'd driven between them changing something as she had to struggle to make this look good when his lips touched hers. It wasn't that she didn't feel for him anymore, it was that she was simply nervous, having all those people around, watching and filming and she'd never been so naked in front of a film crew. Not even in her horror movies that she'd done in the past.

And then it happened.

She didn't know what he did exactly, but his hand was on her back and reaching to the clasp of her bra before it fell down and she really tried to focus on something, _anything_ else but the people watching her. They were all professionals and she knew her boobs in no way would make it to the screen, but the bra had to go as she and Harry fell into bed. She tried to shift her focus to something else and she actually found a familiar rhythm with Harrison as they moved on the bed, fireworks erupting everywhere.

"And… cut!" she vaguely heard Cisco's voice and she tore her mouth away from Harry's, grabbing the sheet and immediately covering herself with it. The stimulating movements they were by now making already left her flushed and on top of that she was embarrassed. "Oh my God, boss! That was brilliant! Amazing shot! I don't think we even have to repeat it! We have enough of material to make a good cut out of it and… Well, maybe we have to redo the first take with you starting to kiss her because it didn't exactly look as though you've already been kissing for a long time… yeah…"

Wells just nodded, reaching for Caitlin's robe and handing it over to her, but again not looking at her at all.

And it made her angry.

She had just enough time to pick up her bra and retreat to her dressing room to put it back on before coming to the set again to repeat the first take of the kissing. Fortunately, there was no need for her to take off any piece of clothing anymore and good.

* * *

The worst part was that during the whole day of shooting Caitlin couldn't get Harrison alone so they could talk even once and when the night fell she was simply frustrated with this infuriating man's behavior. He was clearly avoiding her and she couldn't imagine how he would pull this off to the very end of the shooting and then beyond when they would actually have to promote this movie and give interviews, not to mention show up at various events. Was he even serious?! Why did she have to fall in love with such an asshole anyways?!

The shooting for the day was over and they all needed to get some rest and recharge for the next day, but she was having none of it. She wouldn't spend another night wondering what if, running all different scenarios in her mind. She needed this man and if the past week had taught her anything, it was that she couldn't imagine her future without him no matter what the obstacles. So, she simply got up, left her trailer and headed to his.

Before she raised her hand to knock, she tried the knob and discovered the door being unlocked. Well, it wasn't like anyone dared sneak into the boss's trailer and the whole perimeter was secured by guards.

As she walked in and closed the door behind her, she stopped dead in her tracks. Okaay… all the scenarios she ran through her mind didn't exactly involve him already sleeping, but she couldn't possibly leave now, could she? She had to know the truth. She had to know where they were standing and what it really was that he felt. And what better time to ask that when he was asleep? Would he even school himself in time before lying to her again?

There was also a part of her worried that maybe he didn't have any real feelings for her at all, but she decided to push that into the dark recesses of her mind. What was done was done. She was already here. So she proceeded forward.

"Snow?!" she heard his stunned voice and she froze, seeing him prompting himself on his elbows on the bed, clearly _not_ asleep but just lying down, maybe just like her always waiting for the sleep to come but never really able to reach it.

She was just about to say something in panic, a sleepwalking scenario entering her mind as a possible excuse to why she was there, but then she saw it. She did take him by surprise and there was clear hope on his face. There were emotions he hadn't managed to stop from showing.

That was all she needed, truly.

Now, if this was the light of the day, she knew she would never do such a thing, but people were always braver when it was dark, right? So she simply covered the remaining distance to his bed, almost jumping him as she got in there and straddled him.

He reacted purely on instinct when he sat up, his hands resting on her hips, securing her there as his mouth responded to hers and kissed her deeply.

_Yes_ , everything inside of her sung. This felt so right and so good it couldn't possibly be wrong. They both seemed to finally accept their feelings. In fact, Caitlin didn't care what would happen in ten or twenty years. They weren't there yet. They were right here and right now and they should make the most of it. And she loved him. She loved him so much that she wanted to be with him for the rest of her life no matter where this would take them or what people would say, no matter how this would look like.

"Is… was this real?" she eventually asked him when he rested his forehead against her own, sighing heavily as he just now realized what happened. "Or was it just sex to you?" She kind of already knew the answer but she needed to hear it from him anyway. "Because… Harrison, if your only problem is the age gap between us, then I don't mind. I mean it." She pulled away a little so she could look into his eyes and saw a wondrous expression there that affected her heart way too much. "I don't care. I just want you," she confessed.

"I…" he finally spoke and then cleared his throat, falling back down onto the pillow behind him as though drained of his strength. He then pressed his hands into his face and when he finally lifted them, he looked up at her. "It was _all_ real to me."

"Good." She smiled at him, relieved, seeing that he was still a little shocked. He probably didn't expect her to fight like this, to come to him. Well, truth be told, she didn't either, but somehow she'd managed to gather enough courage. Besides, all those little hints she'd gotten from him were kind of a proof that she could risk it. "Then here's what I have to say," she began, "First, it's not twenty years, it's sixteen. I counted. Second of all, the movie itself deals with age difference."

"Yeah and you know how it ends," he reminded her.

" _That_ didn't kill Sara," Caitlin argued, "and you know it because you wrote it, mister! We can make our own ending, Harry. We have a choice right here. This isn't a script you wrote, you don't have control over the characters, because I have a saying in it, too. I think you've lived in the movies for way too long and you think you have all the answers, but you don't. If we love each other, we just have to try and see where this takes us and something tells me that it will take us somewhere amazing."

"Well, if you put it that way…" he said. "Wait… you love me?" he suddenly asked and she nearly cursed. Damn it! She was a strong and independent woman and she didn't believe in such silly notions like the fact that the man had to say it first, but… somehow she didn't want to be the first all the same!

"Um… you can… scratch that?" she asked in an unsure voice and he actually started laughing when sitting up again, the shift of his body underneath him doing wonders to her own and she couldn't wait till they…

"No. I don't ever want you to take that back, because I love you, too," he told her when cupping her face and looking her in the eye. "And yes, you might've been right there that I lived in my movies for way too long. God knows I needed it then, but it's still not why I let you go. I let you go because I wanted to be noble and give you an out… I… I loved you too much even then."

She simply kissed him in response, because no matter how angry she was with him for the letting go part, she finally understood it fully.

"Ok, so you proved to me how much you loved me by letting me go, so can we just get back together, please? And maybe, I don't know, have sex already?" she hinted when the kiss came to a stop.

"You got it," he agreed, running his hands down her arms and then sliding them underneath her dress. "I'm tired of fighting this anyway."

"Good."

"And just so you know," she added when pulling his boxers down, that was the only piece of clothing he was wearing, and then running her hands gently along his hardening shaft before applying more pressure and earning herself a heavy groan as he fell back into the pillows. "Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas are still going strong."

"Mhhmm…. Point for them, I guess." Harry's eyes slid shut as she kept on stroking him.

"And their age difference is twenty five years."

"Oh, dear God, so we're not even close to this scandalous!"

"Nope," she agreed and gasped when he finally managed to pull himself under control and take that dress off of her all the way, discovering with satisfaction that she wore nothing underneath. He sat up again, putting his arms around her. "And you're so much more hotter…" she added.

"Oh, yeah?"

"Definitely, director Wells."

"I guess I can live with that," he answered her before they stopped talking altogether as he lined himself up and she sunk into him, rocking her body against his own.

 


	10. Chapter 10

They were woken up by the sunlight creeping through the window.

Harrison heard Caitlin grumble before she mumbled something about how he should've closed the curtains before he'd gone to sleep and then she turned on her back and put a pillow over her face, desperate to get more sleep.

He only chuckled in response, also lying on his back, his head cocked in her direction, his eyes devouring her glorious body, admiring her beauty. She was simply perfect and he still had trouble both understanding and believing why she would choose him. Then again, he should stop, because she told him she was in love with him and wanted to be with him no matter what. He should just hold on to that. He would respect her wish, of course, because quite frankly, he had no strength to fight those feelings of his anymore. He felt so happy that he even started wondering when was the last time he'd experienced something remotely similar and couldn't come up with anything. It was just his luck, to finally know how real love felt like in his forties. Well, better late than never, right?

"I like to wake up at dawn," he finally said, offering her his explanation. "I like to hit the gym before work."

"Well, if you want to continue to sleep with me, you're gonna have to let that one go," she informed him and he chuckled again. She was cute even when she was complaining.

After a moment, he reached out his hand and ran if down her exposed thigh, enjoying the smooth skin he felt underneath his fingertips.

"You are so beautiful," he told her as his hand rested on her knee briefly before going back to her hip.

"Gee, I hope it's not my only good quality."

"Oh, God, no," he immediately assured her. "You're so talented that you never cease to amaze me," he added, reaching to her breast for a change, cupping it and running his finger over the nipple, watching it peak and in the same time hearing her gasp softly. "I am so in love with you, Caitlin Snow," he confessed before finally shifting his body, taking the pillow from her face and kissing her for good morning. "I think I fell for you instantly the moment you walked into my audition," he spoke against her lips.

She hummed in appreciation, clearly placated, so he took that as an invitation and moved towards her, bracing himself on his forearms as his body covered her own and he settled between her already opened legs. He kissed her some more before making his way down to pay attention to her breasts and then her stomach as he dipped his tongue into her navel, hearing her giggle and then feeling her bury her hands in his hair as he moved even lower, needing to taste her. Once he pressed his lips against her core and dipped his tongue _there_ , she started squirming and it didn't take much for him before she was trashing on the bed, calling his name restlessly until he made her come.

He didn't give her any respite when making his way back up her body, kissing her lips again and then finding his way in, immediately sheathed inside her all the way, beginning a round two as he made love to her in deep and powerful strokes.

Soon enough, she didn't even know her own name as he rendered her unable to form any coherent thought or sentence. All that mattered was this wonderful man, his arms around her, him moving inside her.

This was heaven to her.

* * *

It didn't take much for Iris and Cisco to put two and two together and figure out that their boss and Caitlin finally hit it off. Not every member of the crew realized what was going on as they hadn't actually come out as a couple officially, but those two were so close to them both that they picked up on it immediately. Gone was the tension between Snow and Wells as they somehow seemed more intimate with each other without even having to touch or kiss. Though they did touch some more and it was Iris who noticed. It wasn't anything significant, at least not to any guy's eye like Cisco's, but she saw the hand that lingered a little bit too long on the small of Caitlin's back as Harry guided her somewhere or one that rested on his own shoulder when she sat down next to him to talk, run over their lines or eat something.

"I couldn't be happier for you two," Iris finally expressed her feelings regarding the couple and winked at Caitlin once they were briefly left alone.

"How…? Is it _that_ obvious?" Caitlin just had to ask, clearly bothered by that fact.

"Don't worry, girl, not to everyone."

"That's so cool, dude!" Cisco, on the other hand, was just talking to Harry. "I knew you two could be so good together!"

"Ramon, will you _please_ keep your voice down and leave this piece of news to yourself? I don't want a scandal on my set, ok? Let's finish the movie first."

"So you're actually confirming it! Man, _awesome_! The chemistry between you two… yeah, I saw it from a mile away that very first day!"

* * *

Days started to pass by unusually fast and before they knew it, they almost arrived at filming the ending of the movie which would be emotionally draining for both Harrison and Caitlin, so they did their best to prepare.

This morning Caitlin hoped not to think about the devastating scenes waiting for her ahead, so she counted on some quality time with Harry in bed, but once she woke up and reached to the other side, she found it empty.

She frowned, finally opening her eyes and noticing the curtains closed, but him gone anyway. Probably headed to the gym, she thought, frustrated that he was so used to getting up at dawn that the dimmed room didn't do much to prevent him from it.

Well, she still wanted him, so she got up as well and after a brief visit in the bathroom, she left the trailer in search of the gym.

The room wasn't so hard to find and the only person working out there at this hour was Harry. That was just great, she decided, closing the door behind her and turning the key in the lock.

He was currently pummeling the punching bag and he never looked hotter to her as he just stood there in his jersey, already wet from sweat. He must've been there for quite some time.

He didn't notice her until she made her way to him and reached out, sliding her hands underneath the shirt and touching his back. He stilled just then and slowly turned around, surprised to see her.

"Snow?" he asked, but instead of saying anything, she just cupped his face and started kissing him.

He gave in, kissing her right back and hot for a while before moving away just as she slid her hands underneath his jersey again, this time touching his taut stomach.

"What are you doing?" he asked in perplexity.

"What does it look like?" she answered with a question and pulled on his jersey until he allowed her to take it off. She just couldn't get enough of the sight of his shining now and perfectly chiseled chest.

"Shouldn't I take a shower first?"

"We'll take it together. After," she dismissed his suggestion and this time when she pressed herself against him, he didn't have it in him to oppose anymore, so instead he turned them around until her back was against the wall.

She moaned, feeling him already hard against her abdomen and she pulled on his shorts, freeing him from the confine of them while he touched her breasts through the thin fabric of her summer dress and then lifted her leg up so she would wind it around his hip. He didn't waste any time when entering her and immediately started fucking her, both of them going crazy with desire.

Completely taken by the moment and lost within each other, none of them noticed the door opening. Caitlin might have turned the key, but she had no way of knowing that the lock was broken. A shocked Ronnie Raymond stood there as he just wanted to get some workout done before his stunts that day.

At first he was hit with blind fury, seeing the woman he was pining for, the woman he wanted to have so badly it hurt, in the arms of someone else. And what was worse, that someone was not just any random guy, but it was actually the _director_ of the movie itself. It was enough to make him question why she was actually fucking him. She couldn't have feelings for him, could she? She probably wanted a launch to her career and that made him realize she was just another spoilt actress who stopped at nothing to get what she wanted. And here he thought she was different!

Without hesitation, he reached for his phone, snapped a picture before they would notice him and retreated quietly, ready for his revenge.

 


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am truly sorry for all the trials and tribulations here and thank you for being so patient with me.   
> Yes, my snowells muse is back and on point and let's hope it will stay this way forever!

Freshly showered and dressed and already done with make up, Caitlin began her very last day of filming, only having her death scene left to shoot. She'd dreaded it since morning during which she'd woken up alone, feeling the sudden need to go and search for Harry as she had to have him before her big day started. Maybe it sounded silly, but their little moment of intense intimacy in the gym followed by an equally hot shower was definitely what she needed to get through it. She just couldn't think about what she would play later on and needed her mind taken off of it. Normally, yes, it would be just another scene to shoot and one that she would welcome since it would mark the end of the movie for her, rendering her able to take a breather and recharge. Yet, the fact that she was going to play said scene with the man she loved and was in a relationship with was a whole other matter.

Before she knew it, she heard the all-too-familiar words yelling _action_ and she was to begin, first shooting the scene in which she got injured straight in the chest, close to her heart and then tumbled down the side of a small building; the latter, of course, played by a stunt girl.

The most difficult part was the moment in which Harrison got to her, begging her to hold on, begging her not to leave him alone, but she did. Well, at least Sara had to, so Caitlin pretended to finally die and despite it being the easiest part since she was basically playing possum, just minding her chest so it wouldn't raise and fall, indicating she was breathing; she still found it hard to do. Because the man she loved, though he did play a fictional character, was just mourning her death, ready to take his nemesis down, ridden with guilt and blinded with heartache. And yet, in the end she knew that John wouldn't exercise his revenge as he planned in his head the moment the woman he loved died and in the last possible moment he would actually save his opponent, not letting him perish because Sara would never want this dark path for him. She always wanted him to be a hero and he was to decide that he would, indeed, become one to honor her memory, so her death wouldn't be in vain.

If Caitlin couldn't seem to stop her tears now, she was afraid what would the movie do to her once it was released. She would be overly emotional even if she and Harry weren't playing the parts.

"That was great, boss! Maybe one more take?" Cisco suggested once the scene was over and Caitlin could finally breathe deeply into her lungs as she opened her eyes and… froze, seeing Harrison just getting to his feet, wiping his face. It did say in the script that John was crying over the body of the woman he loved, but those tears seemed so real and genuine to her that she forgot how to breathe all over again, gasping at the magnitude of his feelings for her. Though she couldn't really blame him, because if their roles were reversed, she would have trouble getting through this, too. The only surprise was that it _was_ the same man she's found gruff and rough around the edges at first. And he still was that person, she reminded herself. Just not with her anymore. She'd seemed to open something up inside of him and she was happy about that. She just wished this scene hadn't caused him so much pain.

"Harry?" she asked him when he helped her to his feet, but he just shook his head at her, needing a moment to himself before another take. And she understood. She really did. He wished he could just let it all go so they could drive into the sunset together, but he still needed to repeat the whole scene and maybe even more than once, so he couldn't possibly let her make him feel better now.

Sucked to be an artist, right? Maybe that was why he'd rather write. Then again, he turned out to be such an amazing actor that she felt as though his talent was wasting only behind the pen.

* * *

"You're either such an amazing actor, Oscar worthy, really," Caitlin said from the door to his trailer, "or that scene really got you hard."

"Maybe a little bit of both," he eventually sighed before turning to her and seeing her closing the door behind her. They had just finished the shooting for the day, only a day or two more for Harry to finish his own scenes and the movie would be ready.

As soon as they wrapped Caitlin for the movie, he disappeared, needing some time to compose himself again and probably not wanting her to approach him in front of so many people and she understood that. She was just glad that now they could finally be alone and away from the cameras.

She made her way to him and put her arms around him, pressing her body into his, breathing him in as she buried her face in his neck.

"You know I'm not going anywhere, don't you?" she just asked him.

He nodded against her skin, but didn't say anything to that.

"I saw that the scene took a lot from you," she then pointed out when letting him go and now looking up into those amazingly blue eyes of his.

"What are you talking about?" he joked just then, lighter tone being what they both seemed to need, "I'm a fantastic actor, did you forget that?"

She smiled at him briefly before her expression changed again and became serious.

"You're not going to lose me, Harry. I'm in this for the long haul," she assured him when bringing her hand to his cheek and caressing the skin there gently, feeling a slight prickling of stubble.

"And how long would that be, exactly?" he asked her in a deeper, huskier voice which only indicated one thing and she smiled, not able to wait for what was to come, because honestly, after such emotionally draining day, they needed nothing more than a bed for anything but sleeping. She couldn't wait till the shooting would be all over and they would get a few preciously free days just for themselves and maybe for visiting his daughter as Caitlin couldn't imagine he wouldn't like that. Then he would be back in the studio, putting the movie together whereas she would probably be figuring out what would come next. She really needed to change apartments, now finally able to afford something better than the hole she technically still lived in since she spent most of her days on set anyways. She kind of suspected he would ask her to move in with him or maybe – considering his divorce – they could get a place together. That would be nice.

"Indefinitely, I hope," Caitlin finally responded to his playful question and just when her needy lips finally touched his in a blissful kiss that took away all of their worries, someone knocked.

Harrison tore himself away from her lips with a heavy sigh before turning to the door and calling out, "Come in!"

They saw what seemed to be a very disturbed Cisco making his way inside and then he met his boss's eyes when saying, "Can I ask you for a moment, Harry? It's… it's important."

Wells frowned on seeing the younger man behaving so strangely. This all-too-professional, nearly scared look on his face was truly unbecoming, so he knew something bad must've happened.

"Sure," he finally responded, reluctantly letting Caitlin go as he made his way to the door. "I'll be right back," he still threw her way apologetically.

"No worries," she assured him with a small smile, though she did feel kind of disappointed.

Once she was left alone, her cell rang and she noticed it was her agent, so she picked it up immediately.

"Hi, Carla! I just finished shooting, but I'm gonna stick around for a little while longer… What is it?" She then frowned just like Harry had done a moment before when her agent interrupted with, "Did you see it?"

"See what?" Caitlin still didn't understand and then she paled, quickly hanging up after hearing the silent ' _Caitlin, I'm so sorry this happened to you. Call me so we can talk how to fix this'_ and immediately typing her name into the search engine in her phone.

The article popped up right away. In fact, by now there were more than just one, all publishing the scandalous picture with some certain parts blurred. Though it was still clear to everyone that the woman wrapped into Harrison Wells' naked arms was her. And she was clearly in the throes of passion if judging by the look of deepest of pleasures on her face and her mouth opened as he fucked her.

_Fuck_ , Caitlin thought and her entire world spun.

She just couldn't understand. She _had_ closed the door, hadn't she?!

She stumbled out of the trailer, her legs feeling like jelly and she could swear everyone she met on her way to Harry and Cisco was staring at her. Either it was just her imagination or the truth, that didn't seem to matter now. What mattered was her own personal doom of a career.

Cisco was the first person who spotted her walking in, paling as he shifted his eyes from Harry to her and then the worst came as she met the loved blues, looking at her with care and obvious guilt.

He immediately made his way to her, saying her name in a hoarse voice and she fell into his arms, finally starting to cry.

Her body shook as she let it all out, desperately holding onto him, her hands closing over his arms.

The shame and mortification was the worst. Because it was one thing to don some parts of her clothing for a movie in a sensual, yet powerful scene like the one she'd done with Harrison, but completely another to get caught red-handed and have her pictures all over the papers.

"Caitlin, I'm so, so sorry this happened," Harrison whispered into her ear, glad that Cisco closed the door so no one could see them. "I already made a call to my lawyers. They're taking care of it as we speak. The pictures will be taken down. Stein is onboard, too. Well, technically he actually congratulated me for saving the movie some more as in his opinion this will only boost its popularity, but he already got a piece of my mind. The movie is all done. He can't afford to drop me now. So I took the opportunity and..."

"Finally yelled at him good, didn't you?" she sighed and then actually chuckled, glad at least for _that_ since she could totally imagine Harry losing his cool with Stein and it definitely wasn't pretty. "He most certainly deserved it. But… Harry, what are you going to do now?" she asked when finally more or less pulling herself together and letting him go, looking at him while wiping her eyes.

Cisco gave her a tissue and she felt the need to hug him, too for being such a good and not judging friend. Then again, Harrison knew how to choose them.

"We have two options," Wells began while scratching his head, "we either keep quiet and pretend this never happened or we give an interview, come clean about the whole thing, just go public with our relationship, telling people that it's real and the picture was made to bury us. But we won't let ourselves be buried," he then added after a moment of thought. "I think we shouldn't just be passive and keep quiet. This is your honor, Snow, we're talking about. I'm going to defend it."

She nodded, taken aback by the intensity of his words. She knew they would most definitely meet with some backlash, but then again, they would eventually be seen in public anyways as it was unavoidable. They could as well come clean now. About everything.

"For this to work we need to know who snapped the picture," Cisco pointed out. "We have to find that person. Now, tell me exactly what happened… I don't mean _that_ ," he immediately added, his cheeks coloring crimson as his boss shot him a look while folding his arms over his chest. "I mean the circumstances."

"I really thought I closed the door," Snow still wrecked her brain around that fact.

"Oh, well… the lock is broken," Cisco provided the answer, "so there's that."

"How do you know? _I_ didn't even know that!" Harry called out.

"I did sneak in there once to exercise and you know me," the younger guy pointed himself, "not exactly great physique here, so I wanted to close the door so I could work out in private and… Wait a sec… What time do you usually work out?" he asked his boss.

Harrison shrugged. "Around six? Though that day I was late. I arrived at the gym before seven."

"Seven! Seven thirty is usually the time only one person goes there!" Cisco snapped his fingers. "A stuntman. Ronnie Raymond!"

"Oh my God!" Caitlin covered her mouth with her hands and the eyes of both the men in the room settled on her.

 


	12. Chapter 12

"Uh oh," Cisco uttered, watching Harry processing the news he'd just learnt. "I know this look. This is not a… Harry, man, maybe it'd be better if you…" But it was already too late. Harrison strode out of the trailer, ready to locate Ronald Raymond.

"What is he gonna do?" Caitlin asked in sudden panic.

"He won't make this whole situation better, that's for sure," Cisco murmured under his nose before following his boss.

Unfortunately, Wells already spotted the man in question and moved towards him, his steps long and decisive, taking him straight to his goal.

"Harry!" Cait ran after him with Cisco, but despite him hearing her, he didn't change his mind. He couldn't possibly make himself stop now.

He arrived right in front of Ronnie – who, by the way, seemed rather surprised to be made so quickly – and hit him straight in the face so hard that the man staggered and nearly fell down.

"The fuck?!" he asked, ready to hit Wells right back, but in that very moment Caitlin ran in between them and he stopped himself just in time; his fist still raised in the air, though.

"You know!" Harrison pointed a finger at the younger man, doing his best to ignore the throbbing pain in his hand. "Now get out of my set! You're fired!"

Luckily for Raymond, he didn't have to be told or hit twice since Cisco acted immediately and called for the security that was already there, grabbing him and pulling to the exit.

"What are you looking at?!" Harrison screamed at the crowd of people involved in the movie that had gathered nearby, staring.

They quickly dispersed, but it was already too late. Caitlin groaned when noticing that some of them had their phones in their hands, probably having filmed the whole thing or snapped a few pictures. And none of that was good. She actually dreaded what would come next. Would Ronnie file a lawsuit? Then again, it wasn't as though Harry had no reason to hit the man…

"Oh, God… Oh, God…" Cisco kept on saying. "This is so, so bad."

"Get back to work, Ramon," Harry dismissed him. "I need… I need to hit something again, damn it!"

Snow hadn't seen him this angry before, but it didn't scare her. She knew this man and knew how caring and gentle he could be. What just happened was simply the result of her being exposed on the pictures Ronnie had taken. Something like that was bound to throw into rage any man that loved her and it just happened to be Harrison. Although maybe if she was in a relationship with anyone else, it wouldn't be so news worthy. The papers and the internet would still post the pictures, but they would be quickly forgotten as paparazzi would simply move towards another, more juicy scandal. Her dating a much older man and the director and writer of the movie she starred in was another story entirely. Added to that, he _was_ responsible for launching her career and even Martin Stein wouldn't be able to deny the fact. Hell, everyone knew Caitlin Snow was hired by Harrison Wells who was enchanted with her acting skills during her audition.

"This is going to be so, so bad," she groaned under her breath, no longer caring about the pose she was caught in on the photo, but about her career.

* * *

It was close to midnight when Harry finally came back from gym. He really did have to hit something, so Cait left him to that so he could blow off his steam and maybe then he would calm down. Or she hoped.

She didn't want to wait for him, yet she couldn't seem to fall asleep, eventually giving up and picking up her phone again, already having gone through numerous articles online, every other more colorful than the previous one until the truth was nothing but a memory. The most hurtful ones accused Harry of launching her career in exchange for sex, but that was easy to predict, actually.

Caitlin didn't switch her phone off once he appeared since she was convinced he would head for the bathroom before joining her in bed, but he must've showered at the gym since he did jump into the covers, smelling all clean and fresh. And his eyes did see the current headline she was reading: _Harrison Wells responsible for launching Caitlin Snow's career. Love affair or business transaction?_

"Don't," he just said, taking her phone and putting it down on the bedside table before facing her again. "Don't read this crap, Snow. You're better than this. _We_ are better than this."

"But what are we supposed to do now, Harry?" she asked helplessly. "I mean… I've already been attacked on both instagram and twitter. I even considered taking those accounts down, but that would only be admitting all those lies are true. I don't even know what to say on my social media. If I deny everything, they'll say only a guilty party does that and if I just sit quiet…"

"Hey, hey," Harrison was suddenly cupping her face, his blue eyes staring into her hazels, "just breathe, ok? Breathe, Caitlin. It's gonna be ok. Everything's gonna be ok."

"You can't know that. And now the attack… what if Raymond presses charges?" she suddenly got worried again.

"He won't." Harry seemed to be all too sure about that.

"How can you tell?"

"Because I had a valid reason to hit him. If we try hard enough, we will prove he posted those photos and then he will face a lawsuit and after that, he won't get another job as a stuntman ever again. He's not that stupid. And even if he is - lawsuit," he repeated.

"Ok." Caitlin nodded. "Ok. So what do _we_ do now?"

Harrison only sighed in response before letting go of her face and falling down to the pillows. He'd been working out in anger for so long in the gym that he was exhausted and yet, he still had a movie to finish shooting the next day and maybe the day after that, too.

"We make a statement. Book some exclusive interview. I actually called your agent today and she agreed it was an excellent idea. She'll find us a good reporter in some renown paper and we give an honest interview about what really happened and that we do love each other and we only got together _after_ we began shooting the movie. It's that simple. Of course, if you agree to it," he added then, risking a glance in her direction and noticing her just sitting there on the bed, her lower lip between her teeth. And he could swear, if he wasn't so tired and spent already, he would reach out and free that lip with the help of his own mouth and teeth.

"Sounds like a plan," she finally agreed.

"I'm just so, so sorry this happened to you, Caitlin. I wish I were more careful," he then apologized again, but she was having none of it.

"Harry," she addressed him in a soft voice as she lay on her side and reached to his face, stroking his chin gently, "don't act like I'm the only victim here. You are on that picture, too and I know how hard it must be for you when having Jesse, a daughter who looks up to you and…"

"Oh, don't worry about her. She actually called. I will not repeat all the epithets she described Raymond with. I was horrified at her scandalous vocabulary, but what matters is that she's fine. She was actually… happy for me, though she didn't appreciate one of her friends sending her the photo."

"Oh, God! I'm so sorry!" Caitlin groaned, lying on her back and covering her face with her hands.

"Don't be. It's gonna be ok. A month from now we won't be thinking about it anymore and in a year, we'll totally forget. I promise," he assured her when moving towards her and snuggling into her body, his head resting in the crook of her neck. "I love you, Caitlin Snow. I am sorry that we were caught at such an unfortunate time, but I do love you and if you're still willing to give this a shot, I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you."

"Harry," she gasped, moving away slightly, so she could look into his eyes, "there's nothing to forgive. I love you and I don't care about what people think. It's Ronnie who should be ashamed and not us. Actually…" She bit that lip again and he nearly groaned, especially that she also started stroking his hair, but then she just reached for her phone.

"What are you doing?" he asked in curiosity as she started typing.

"I figured out what I want to say."

Once she was done, he took the phone from her, looking at the twit: _Love is nothing to be ashamed of. The person who took the picture should be ashamed of violating our privacy._

"Hmm… good one, I guess," Harry hummed, seeing that the twit was immediately liked by both West and Ramon and… "Is that _Allen_ liking? He's following you?"

Caitlin shrugged. "Maybe he got better in rehab… One more, maybe," she then said and typed on her phone again: _For the sake of the movie we wanted to keep our relationship private, but I as well may tell you now that we are in love. Everyone who thinks otherwise, you should mind your own business._

_Go, girl!_ Cisco immediately answered.

_I validate that,_ Iris commented.

"Ok, so social media's done, we'll book the interview tomorrow and… holy shit! It's late. I'm gonna be exhausted while filming the ending of my movie," Harry complained.

"Don't worry, my love, I heard that makeup works miracles," she teased him when leaning towards him and kissing him sweetly on the lips before resting her head on his chest and letting him put his arm around her, pressing her closer to his side.

"Apparently, Snow, according to you I am still young, so my exhaustion might not even show."

She only laughed in response before saying, "Not _that_ young."

"Really now? You're insulting me!"

"Wait a sec… Why don't _you_ back me up on social media? Oh, wait! Because you don't have any!"

"Is that another creative way for you to insult my age?!"

She only laughed harder. "I am so making you a twitter account, old man!"

* * *

They were all surprised the next day when the media actually started leaning towards their side, commenting on the fact that Harrison attacked a stuntman on set before throwing the man out and yet, no charges were pressed. Next, the reporters started commenting on Caitlin's twits and the responses from the entirety of the movie cast, only proving that the mysterious stuntman who'd allegedly taken the photos was scared of suing Wells for fear he himself would be sued right back.

"Well, what do you say? Sometimes they do come across the actual truth," Harry commented when sitting in the makeup chair to the amusement of his girlfriend who was still there on the set to be his support.


	13. Chapter 13

Caitlin Snow could swear photoshoots made a person even more tired than shooting a movie.

She nearly sighed when another flesh blinded her, her mind by now resembling a sponge as she couldn't even make out the directions the photographer, who was taking her and Harry's pictures, was giving her. _Harry_. Yes, that was what kept her going; the simple knowledge that he was right there beside her and even more exasperated with the whole thing than she was. He wasn't a man who felt entirely comfortable in front of a camera, she could tell. He'd done well on the set since it'd still felt familiar to him after spending years shooting scenes, but a staged photoshoot for a magazine seemed to be an entirely different story. Still, it all worked to his advantage as when afterwards he and Cait took a peek at what the photographer captured, she was amazed by how handsome and hot in his ragged kind of way Harrison looked and how much chemistry there was between the two of them. The brooding hero he presented himself to be was just pure perfection and Caitlin felt jealous that a girl needed to do so much more work to look presentable on screen. Well, that was just another sad Hollywood truth she had to live with.

The interview was scheduled for the afternoon and just barely the day before they'd wrapped the movie, relieved to finally be able to leave the set. The scandal itself was slowly dying out as they all quickly fell into their old and very well-known routine, yet Cait still wished to leave it all behind and move on with her life. And she would. Just after the interview.

They talked about the movie for a bit before the reporter smoothly jumped to the very reason of them all being there.

"So," she started, "let's prod the elephant in the room, shall we? From what I have managed to gather, you two got together while shooting the movie and wanted to keep your relationship private until you would be done with work. Unfortunately, it did not go as planned."

"I think that's an understatement," Harrison spoke first, one of his arms draped around Caitlin as they were sitting on the couch with the reporter facing them in a matching chair. He could clearly sense how nervous Snow was, so he took it upon himself to get the ball rolling. Hell, he would answer every single question himself if that was necessary.

"You were brutally forced to come clean about your relationship and actually defend it since people immediately assumed… how to put it nicely…"

"That it was a business transaction?" Caitlin asked, rendering both Harry and the reporter speechless.

"Um… yeah, you could say that," the woman eventually carefully admitted.

"I think this is what angered me the most," Cait followed, risking a glance in Harry's direction, deriving strength from his closeness. "We live in the twenty first century in the greatest country on earth that is supposed to be all about equality and freedom and yet, we judge one another so quickly. We try to destroy each other and for what? Brenda, I'll tell you the whole truth. I won't hide anything. Full disclosure. The person who published those photos was a man who previously asked me out and I politely declined, saying I was already in a relationship. I never told him with whom, but through an unfortunate accident resulting in a broken door lock, mine and my partner's privacy was invaded." She took Harry's hand and laced her fingers through his. "I am not going to apologize for our actions, because they were completely natural for two people so much in love as we are. I felt attracted to Harrison since the moment I met him and the feeling was mutual, but we didn't do anything about it for quite some time since none of us wanted to complicate things. We were about to work together and it was my first big break, so I didn't want to be seen as someone who used this opportunity to make myself famous and…" She sighed, glancing at Harry again before looking back at the camera, "unfortunately, exactly that happened."

"Can you blame people, though?" Brenda followed with. "You did keep it all private and Harrison Wells did just go through a divorce. It didn't look good."

"We only got together when… when we couldn't possibly be apart anymore," Harry said just then. "We couldn't stop this from happening, because what we felt was too real and too strong. We did become good friends first and desperately wanted to be more, yet…" He hesitated. "The truth is I still broke it all off."

"Wait, what?" Brenda seemed confused.

He ran a hand over his mouth before continuing, Caitlin's hand giving his a reassuring squeeze.

"Yes. I'm not proud of that moment, but I thought Caitlin deserved better, that she couldn't be happy with someone like me in the long haul…"

"And you couldn't be more wrong," she cut in just then. "I'm in this till the end."

He nodded in acquiescence before saying, "It was her choice in the end. And she chose me."

"That's quite the story," Brenda commented with a nod, a small smile appearing on her face. "So you proved to her how much you loved her by letting her go and leaving the choice to her. That seems like a movie material to me."

They all chuckled, grateful for the joke.

"I'm not sure it seemed so magical in realty," he admitted, "but yeah, it's exactly what Caitlin said to me afterwards."

"So this is as real as it gets, then," the reporter followed.

"Yes," both Harry and Caitlin said in the same time, then glanced at each other and smiled.

"See this?" Brenda turned to the camera. "Such an affection can't be faked even by a pair of actors. This is a completely natural reaction. All I see is two people, who were deeply hurt, in love."

"We were contemplating whether we should even speak up about it," Caitlin started again. "Whether we should defend our relationship or leave it be, just be together and wait for the gossips to die down, because it's common public knowledge that only the guilty party defends oneself, right? But why shouldn't we? Why shouldn't we tell you the truth? Innocent people have to defend themselves in court all the time."

"You both stood up for each other bravely," Brenda admitted with a nod. "So, there's just one more issue here, but I bet it's nothing for you two, right?"

Harrison and Caitlin exchanged glances once more before she made sure, "You mean the age difference? Oh, come on! If Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas can do it with 25 years of difference, we most definitely can with 16!"

* * *

_Few months later…_

Harrison, Caitlin and every other member of the cast were just attending their movie panel, preceding the premiere. For the couple the last months were nothing but blissful, their relationship pretty steadfast. They were already living together, having gotten a penthouse apartment right after finishing the movie. Harry was at great terms with his daughter who basically adored Caitlin, so life couldn't be better.

And just now, after all this time of them living their life and proving to everyone around with this simple fact that they were going strong and real, somebody asked the question about relationship shaming since they themselves met with age difference ostracism.

There was silence for a moment as both Harry and Cait thought about the past and the ordeal Raymond had put them through, the memory itself still being painful. Then it was Cait who spoke first, "What can I say? It hurts. The worst part is that it doesn't really hurt you as much as the person you love and are devoted to." She looked at Harry who was sitting by her side, listening to her intently. "It hurt me that it happened, yes, but I was more concerned about the feelings of the person I loved and vice versa, because that is exactly how real love works." She looked back at the woman asking the question. "Back when it happened, my career, though it barely began, seemed completely insignificant to me and I would give it all up without blinking just to be with the man I love forever. I can't even explain how I felt when I saw that hurt look in Harry's eyes and could do nothing about it but to love him more and more with every passing day. In fact, _I am_ falling for this wonderful man deeper and deeper and I can't even comprehend how it's possible since I already love him so much. I always want to be with him, always hold on to him, feel his touch, look into his eyes," she did look at him just then and realized in surprise that he suddenly shifted nervously, brushing his hand over his eyes.

"Oh, God!" Iris West called out. "Caitlin, you totally made your man cry!"

"I'm sorry," she immediately apologized in a low voice, feeling her heart swelling with love. She wanted nothing more than to put her arms around him, but obviously couldn't in such a place.

"No, she did not," Harrison immediately denied, yet his voice, though he tried for it to come out all gruff and strong, was changed. "I just have something in my eyes. Now, before we all get too emotional with my lovely girlfriend's words," he almost frowned to be honest, not really liking to call her _that_ as it seemed so… inadequate. "My advice to you," he turned to the person who asked the question, "is to always follow your heart and never care what people think. Do what _you_ feel is right, what _you_ want. _You_ have to be happy, not then. It's _your_ life."

"Couldn't have put it better myself," Caitlin said, smiling at him brightly before reaching a hand to his face and brushing his hair lovingly. "What he said."

"And what she said," he teased her, winking at her, letting her know that it was all, all right.

"Come see us on some panel in a few years and we can all share how steadfast we are in our relationships," he tuned to the woman in the crowd. She was just now wiping her eyes, thanking them sincerely and saying she would most definitely always follow her heart.

* * *

All this time it was either Harrison worrying his movie would be changed or worrying that his true vision of it wouldn't be a success or Stein worrying about all the money he invested and praying it wouldn't ruin him.

In the end, the picture did more than good.

In fact, it opened big and the tickets sell only increased afterwards.

Everyone was talking about it and the powerful message it conveyed. About how technically, it was a superhero movie, but yet, felt so real and like a true life drama. Even the critics were basically unanimous in their opinion and already called it for the next Oscars, deciding Harrison Wells had probably just created a new genre since they couldn't just put his creation to one category, the feature having the perfect amount of everything, all in amazing harmony. Nothing was exaggerated, no scene was too much or not enough. Everything was on point.

Truly, it couldn't have been better.

"I am so, so proud of you," Caitlin paid her man a compliment after they finally came back home from the huge premiere.

"You take the credit as well. Don't you forget about it. Without you, it wouldn't have worked."

"And without you," she reminded him.

"You do know that it doesn't really matter in the end, don't you?" he suddenly hinted, turning to face her. "It was my life dream, yes, but I would, too, give it all away just so I could be with you."

"Well, then it's a good thing the movie brought us together, Mr. Wells. You can have it all this way." Suddenly, she saw something in his eyes that hadn't been there before. "Harrison?" she asked slowly, not sure what he meant by that expression and eventually, he went with, "Marry me."

For a moment there, she was speechless, knowing he was serious and feeling completely taken aback.

"Caitlin, I know I basically just got out of a marriage," he followed with, making a step closer and putting his hands on her shoulders, reading her well, "but honestly, it never felt like one to me. It was just a piece of paper with no deeper meaning behind it and I want that meaning. In fact, I want it all. I want to be with you for the rest of my life, to raise a family with you despite my older age and the fact that I already have a daughter…"

"Yes," she simply gasped, rendering him silent. "Yes, of course!" she then called out, cupping his face and kissing him strongly on the mouth, overcame with emotions she couldn't even begin to comprehend for now. She was certain they were happy, though. "And no, you're not too old to have kids with me! I want it all, too. Let's just do it."

"Which part?" he asked huskily against her lips.

"All of it. Immediately."

"You got it." He kissed her again and when they had to pull away to catch a breath, he went to get some wine to celebrate properly with it in bed. "Oh, I forgot to tell you, Allen called."

"Is this your way of breaking the mood?" Snow complained.

"No, this is a good thing, I promise. He actually… apologized," Harry informed when handing her a glass of wine.

"Really?" She raised her eyebrows at that. "And he was genuine?"

"I gathered that he was," Harry confirmed with a nod. "He actually confessed to having lost his parents in a violet accident when he was already a teenage star and that pushed him down a dark path. He wants to get better. He found the rehab… enlightening."

"Good for him," Caitlin said, taking a sip of the wine. "Delicious."

"If he goes on like this, maybe I'll offer him a role in my next movie."

"Yeah? And what role would that be?" she wanted to know.

"I don't know, our son?" he hinted.

"What?"

"From the future," he added as though that was supposed to explain everything. If so, it only made it all more confusing to her.

"Harry, seriously, what are you talking about?"

"The studio wants to turn my movie into a franchise. They want me to film a sequel."

"That's good, then, but the last time I checked my character was dead."

"That's the thing… they want to bring you back."

"And how's that gonna help the first movie's message exactly?"

He sighed, putting the wine glass aside and moving closer to her, his hands resting on her shoulders. "Honestly, I am not sure this is going to work either. I may say I won't do it. That the movie should be left as it is."

"Ok. But you're still considering the other option, aren't you?"

"Yeah," he admitted. "The idea would be that you… I mean, Sara, was pregnant when she died. The child would have powers, given to it by the father, therefore she could technically come back, being raised by the child. It's a loose idea and as I said, I'm still skeptical. We haven't worked this hard to destroy the first movie by making an awful sequel."

"Well, if anyone can make this work, it's you, Harrison Wells," Cait told him when leaning forward into his body. "I will respect whatever decision you'll make and will always be there to play along your side."

"That's all I need to know."

She smiled at him, kissing him and opening her mouth to the advance of his tongue, happily welcoming the next part of the night.

Yes, she was sure that whatever would happen, it would be good for the both of them.

And in the end, all that truly mattered was their love and the fact that they found each other and were together.

_The end_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t really know why, but this was the hardest snowells to write for me. And those of you, who are following it from the beginning, should know. Luckily, after trials and tribulations I finally managed to reach this ending and I hope I didn’t disappoint.


End file.
